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null | referring to fig2 , an electrohydraulic control valve 30 is illustrated inserted into an aperture 32 in a manifold 34 of a conventional variable cam phase adjustment mechanism . the ports 18 and 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 shown in fig1 are connected respectively to two passages 20 and 21 that extend through the manifold 34 and those passages open into the aperture 32 . a supply passage 22 extends between the engine &# 39 ; s oil pump and the manifold aperture 32 , while a return passage 23 at the interior end of the aperture leads to the oil pan ( or tank ) of the engine . the electrohydraulic valve 30 has a tubular valve body 40 with a longitudinal bore 42 and transverse openings which provide ports between the manifold passages and the longitudinal bore . specifically , a first workport 24 connects to the first passage 20 and a second workport 25 communicates with the second passage 21 . an inlet port 26 in the valve body is associated with the supply passage 22 and an outlet port 27 opens into the return passage 23 . a spool 44 is slidably received within the bore 42 of the valve body 40 and has an exterior annular notch 46 which , in selective positions of the spool , provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and one of the two workports 24 and 25 and thus between the associated manifold passages . in a middle , or intermediate , position of the spool travel , the inlet port 26 is closed from both workports 24 and 25 . a central aperture 48 extends between the opposite ends 47 and 49 of the spool 44 . a head 54 projects from the outward end 49 of the valve spool 44 and has an aperture 55 there through . a spring 50 biases the spool 44 away from a nose piece 52 of the valve body 40 . the valve 30 further includes an electromagnetic actuator 56 comprising a solenoid coil 58 in a non - magnetic bobbin 60 , preferably made of plastic molded around the coil to form a solenoid assembly . the solenoid coil 58 is driven by a pulse width modulated ( pwm ) signal having a duty cycle that is varied in a conventional manner to position the spool 44 in the valve body 40 . the pwm signal is applied to the electromagnetic actuator 56 via a connector 57 formed in a lateral projection of the bobbin 60 and connected by wires to the solenoid coil 58 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 further includes two magnetically conductive pole pieces 64 and 66 . the first pole piece 64 has a cylindrical tubular interior section 65 that extends into one end of the bobbin 60 . an o - ring 67 provides a hermetic seal between the first pole piece 64 and the bobbin 60 . the first pole piece 64 has a flange 68 which projects outwardly from the interior section 65 across the outer end of the valve body 40 . the second pole piece 66 has a second tubular section that extending into the opposite end of the bobbin 60 and has an interior end that is spaced from the first pole piece 64 . an annular rib 63 of the bobbin magnetically separates the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the outer end of the second pole piece 66 has an outwardly projecting flange 71 and another o - ring 75 provides a hermetic seal between this flange and the bobbin 60 . a liner tube 62 , preferably of stainless steel , extends through the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the liner tube 62 provides a magnetic barrier between the pole pieces as well as acting as a guide for a sliding plunger 73 . an open end of the liner tube 62 faces the valve body 40 and a closed end is adjacent the outwardly projecting flange 71 of the second pole piece 66 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is enclosed by a metal outer housing 69 that extends around the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 and the bobbin 60 . the open end of the outer housing 69 , adjacent the second pole piece 66 , is crimped to a disk 72 to close that opening . at the opposite end , the outer housing 69 has an inwardly projecting flange 70 which is crimped into a depression , such as an annular groove 61 , in the exterior surface of the valve body 40 , thereby securing those components together . an o - ring 59 provides a fluid tight seal between a flange on the liner tube 62 and the valve body 40 . thus the closed liner tube 62 provides a sealed inner cavity within the electromagnetic actuator 56 that contains the fluid passing through the valve body 40 . with reference to fig2 and 3 , the plunger 73 of the electromagnetic actuator 56 is slidably located within the liner tube 62 and includes an armature 74 of ferromagnetic material . a region 77 at the outer end of the armature 74 has a larger diameter than the remainder of the armature so that only a relatively small surface area engages the inside diameter of the liner tube 62 and a gap 79 exists between most of the armature and the liner tube . by minimizing this surface area of engagement , resistance to the armature 74 sliding in the liner tube 62 is minimized . however , enlarging that gap 79 increases the magnetic impedance which tends to diminish the magnetic force acting on the armature . in response , the inner end of the armature 74 has a tapered recess 81 , which forms a knife edge 82 around the outer perimeter of that end . the magnetic flux flowing between the armature and the first pole piece 64 is concentrated through the region of the knife edge 82 . concentrating the magnetic flux in this manner , counteracts the adverse effect of the gap 79 on the electromagnetic performance of the actuator 56 . the armature 74 has a longitudinal aperture in which a tubular push member 76 is received . both ends of the armature are “ ring staked ” to the push member 76 . as shown in fig4 , ring staking involves forming indentations of the armature end surfaces at locations 85 which pushes that armature material around the aperture tightly against the push member 76 . referring again to fig2 and 3 , the push member 76 projects outward from the open end of the liner tube 62 and abuts the head 54 of the valve spool 44 . the plunger 73 further includes a rolling bearing 80 mounted on the push member 76 between the armature 74 and the valve spool head 54 . an axial force is applied to the plunger 73 by the magnetic flux at the end of the first pole piece 64 and rolling bearing 80 at this location prevents binding of the armature due to that axial force . the rolling bearing 80 comprises a plastic cage 83 with five longitudinal slots 84 equidistantly spaced around its outer surface . a separate chromium plated sphere 86 is located in each slot 84 . each sphere 86 projects from the respective slot into contact with the liner tube 62 and the push member 76 and is able to roll within the respective slot 84 . other forms of rollable elements , such as cylinders , may be used in place of the spheres 86 . the cage 83 is held in place on the push member 76 by a retaining ring 88 . alternatively the cage 83 and the push member 76 can be fabricated as a single plastic part 90 as shown in fig5 . referring specifically to fig2 , the valve 30 is fabricated by placing the solenoid coil 58 in a mold into which molten plastic for the bobbin 60 is injected to encapsulate the solenoid coil . after that molded assembly has hardened , the first pole piece 64 along with the inner o - ring 67 and the second pole piece 66 with the outer o - ring 75 are placed into the bobbin . the assembly then is inserted into the outer housing 69 . next the disk 72 is positioned in the open end of the outer housing 69 and crimped in place . the liner tube 62 is inserted into the other end of the first pole piece 64 and the plunger 73 is slid into the liner tube 62 , thereby completing assembly of the electromagnetic actuator 56 . the valve components then are assembled into the valve body 40 and the nose piece 52 is pressed into the valve body to provide a spring preload . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is placed on the end of the valve body 40 with o - ring 59 between the valve body 40 and the flange of the liner tube 62 to provide a hydraulic seal . then , the flange 70 is crimped into an annular groove 61 in the valve body 40 securing the components together . references herein to directional relationships and movement , such as upper and lower or up and down , refer to the relationship and movement of the components in the orientation illustrated in the drawings , which may not be the orientation of the components as attached to machinery . when the electrohydraulic valve 30 is not activated by electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 , the spring 50 forces the spool 44 into a position at which the annular notch 46 provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and the first workport 24 leading to the first manifold passage 20 . in this de - energized state , the inner end of the spool 44 is positioned to the right which opens a path between the outlet port 27 and the second workport 25 communicating with the second manifold passage 21 . pressurized engine oil now is fed through the first manifold passage 20 to port 18 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 and oil is drained from that mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 through the second manifold passage 21 to the oil pan , thereby advancing the valve timing . from the de - energized state , application of a relatively small magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 produces movement of the armature 74 and push member 76 toward the valve body 40 . this motion also moves the spool 44 thereby reducing the size of the fluid paths described immediately above . this decreases the flow of engine oil to the cam phasing mechanism 12 which reduces the rate at which the valve timing is being changed . application of a greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 leftward in fig2 into an intermediate position closing the previous path between the second workport 25 and the outlet port 27 , via the spool &# 39 ; s central aperture 48 . the annular spool notch 46 now opens only into the inlet port 26 and both the first and second workports 24 and 25 are closed . this stops movement of the cam phasing mechanism 12 fixing the relationship between the crankshaft and the camshaft on the engine . alternatively , the annular spool notch 46 in the valve body 40 can be configured so that in this intermediate position the first and second workports 24 and 25 both communicate with the inlet port 26 . this applies equal pressure to both the first workport 24 and the second workport 25 . referring still to fig2 , applying a still greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 farther to the left into a position where the first workport 24 communicates with the central aperture 48 through the spool 44 . this opens a fluid path between the first workport 24 and the outlet port 27 . in this position the annular notch 46 of the spool provides a path between the inlet port 26 and only the second workport 25 that leads to the second port 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 . this applies pressurized engine oil to the mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 and drains the oil from the mechanism &# 39 ; s first port 18 to the oil pan , thereby retarding the phase relationship between the cam and crank shafts . the size of the openings between these passages is varied by controlling the magnitude of the electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 to meter the flow of engine oil and thus control the rate at which valve timing changes . the foregoing description was primarily directed to preferred embodiments of the invention . although some attention was given to various alternatives within the scope of the invention , it is anticipated that one skilled in the art will likely realize additional alternatives that are now apparent from disclosure of embodiments of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims and not limited by the above disclosure . | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | 0475ab9646caf6f0e54de2e0458d8fe24f61225b0f7885da1267ab5f6a806674 | 0.000315 | 0.006897 | 0.000216 | 0.000096 | 0.009399 | 0.003479 |
null | referring to fig2 , an electrohydraulic control valve 30 is illustrated inserted into an aperture 32 in a manifold 34 of a conventional variable cam phase adjustment mechanism . the ports 18 and 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 shown in fig1 are connected respectively to two passages 20 and 21 that extend through the manifold 34 and those passages open into the aperture 32 . a supply passage 22 extends between the engine &# 39 ; s oil pump and the manifold aperture 32 , while a return passage 23 at the interior end of the aperture leads to the oil pan ( or tank ) of the engine . the electrohydraulic valve 30 has a tubular valve body 40 with a longitudinal bore 42 and transverse openings which provide ports between the manifold passages and the longitudinal bore . specifically , a first workport 24 connects to the first passage 20 and a second workport 25 communicates with the second passage 21 . an inlet port 26 in the valve body is associated with the supply passage 22 and an outlet port 27 opens into the return passage 23 . a spool 44 is slidably received within the bore 42 of the valve body 40 and has an exterior annular notch 46 which , in selective positions of the spool , provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and one of the two workports 24 and 25 and thus between the associated manifold passages . in a middle , or intermediate , position of the spool travel , the inlet port 26 is closed from both workports 24 and 25 . a central aperture 48 extends between the opposite ends 47 and 49 of the spool 44 . a head 54 projects from the outward end 49 of the valve spool 44 and has an aperture 55 there through . a spring 50 biases the spool 44 away from a nose piece 52 of the valve body 40 . the valve 30 further includes an electromagnetic actuator 56 comprising a solenoid coil 58 in a non - magnetic bobbin 60 , preferably made of plastic molded around the coil to form a solenoid assembly . the solenoid coil 58 is driven by a pulse width modulated ( pwm ) signal having a duty cycle that is varied in a conventional manner to position the spool 44 in the valve body 40 . the pwm signal is applied to the electromagnetic actuator 56 via a connector 57 formed in a lateral projection of the bobbin 60 and connected by wires to the solenoid coil 58 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 further includes two magnetically conductive pole pieces 64 and 66 . the first pole piece 64 has a cylindrical tubular interior section 65 that extends into one end of the bobbin 60 . an o - ring 67 provides a hermetic seal between the first pole piece 64 and the bobbin 60 . the first pole piece 64 has a flange 68 which projects outwardly from the interior section 65 across the outer end of the valve body 40 . the second pole piece 66 has a second tubular section that extending into the opposite end of the bobbin 60 and has an interior end that is spaced from the first pole piece 64 . an annular rib 63 of the bobbin magnetically separates the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the outer end of the second pole piece 66 has an outwardly projecting flange 71 and another o - ring 75 provides a hermetic seal between this flange and the bobbin 60 . a liner tube 62 , preferably of stainless steel , extends through the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the liner tube 62 provides a magnetic barrier between the pole pieces as well as acting as a guide for a sliding plunger 73 . an open end of the liner tube 62 faces the valve body 40 and a closed end is adjacent the outwardly projecting flange 71 of the second pole piece 66 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is enclosed by a metal outer housing 69 that extends around the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 and the bobbin 60 . the open end of the outer housing 69 , adjacent the second pole piece 66 , is crimped to a disk 72 to close that opening . at the opposite end , the outer housing 69 has an inwardly projecting flange 70 which is crimped into a depression , such as an annular groove 61 , in the exterior surface of the valve body 40 , thereby securing those components together . an o - ring 59 provides a fluid tight seal between a flange on the liner tube 62 and the valve body 40 . thus the closed liner tube 62 provides a sealed inner cavity within the electromagnetic actuator 56 that contains the fluid passing through the valve body 40 . with reference to fig2 and 3 , the plunger 73 of the electromagnetic actuator 56 is slidably located within the liner tube 62 and includes an armature 74 of ferromagnetic material . a region 77 at the outer end of the armature 74 has a larger diameter than the remainder of the armature so that only a relatively small surface area engages the inside diameter of the liner tube 62 and a gap 79 exists between most of the armature and the liner tube . by minimizing this surface area of engagement , resistance to the armature 74 sliding in the liner tube 62 is minimized . however , enlarging that gap 79 increases the magnetic impedance which tends to diminish the magnetic force acting on the armature . in response , the inner end of the armature 74 has a tapered recess 81 , which forms a knife edge 82 around the outer perimeter of that end . the magnetic flux flowing between the armature and the first pole piece 64 is concentrated through the region of the knife edge 82 . concentrating the magnetic flux in this manner , counteracts the adverse effect of the gap 79 on the electromagnetic performance of the actuator 56 . the armature 74 has a longitudinal aperture in which a tubular push member 76 is received . both ends of the armature are “ ring staked ” to the push member 76 . as shown in fig4 , ring staking involves forming indentations of the armature end surfaces at locations 85 which pushes that armature material around the aperture tightly against the push member 76 . referring again to fig2 and 3 , the push member 76 projects outward from the open end of the liner tube 62 and abuts the head 54 of the valve spool 44 . the plunger 73 further includes a rolling bearing 80 mounted on the push member 76 between the armature 74 and the valve spool head 54 . an axial force is applied to the plunger 73 by the magnetic flux at the end of the first pole piece 64 and rolling bearing 80 at this location prevents binding of the armature due to that axial force . the rolling bearing 80 comprises a plastic cage 83 with five longitudinal slots 84 equidistantly spaced around its outer surface . a separate chromium plated sphere 86 is located in each slot 84 . each sphere 86 projects from the respective slot into contact with the liner tube 62 and the push member 76 and is able to roll within the respective slot 84 . other forms of rollable elements , such as cylinders , may be used in place of the spheres 86 . the cage 83 is held in place on the push member 76 by a retaining ring 88 . alternatively the cage 83 and the push member 76 can be fabricated as a single plastic part 90 as shown in fig5 . referring specifically to fig2 , the valve 30 is fabricated by placing the solenoid coil 58 in a mold into which molten plastic for the bobbin 60 is injected to encapsulate the solenoid coil . after that molded assembly has hardened , the first pole piece 64 along with the inner o - ring 67 and the second pole piece 66 with the outer o - ring 75 are placed into the bobbin . the assembly then is inserted into the outer housing 69 . next the disk 72 is positioned in the open end of the outer housing 69 and crimped in place . the liner tube 62 is inserted into the other end of the first pole piece 64 and the plunger 73 is slid into the liner tube 62 , thereby completing assembly of the electromagnetic actuator 56 . the valve components then are assembled into the valve body 40 and the nose piece 52 is pressed into the valve body to provide a spring preload . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is placed on the end of the valve body 40 with o - ring 59 between the valve body 40 and the flange of the liner tube 62 to provide a hydraulic seal . then , the flange 70 is crimped into an annular groove 61 in the valve body 40 securing the components together . references herein to directional relationships and movement , such as upper and lower or up and down , refer to the relationship and movement of the components in the orientation illustrated in the drawings , which may not be the orientation of the components as attached to machinery . when the electrohydraulic valve 30 is not activated by electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 , the spring 50 forces the spool 44 into a position at which the annular notch 46 provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and the first workport 24 leading to the first manifold passage 20 . in this de - energized state , the inner end of the spool 44 is positioned to the right which opens a path between the outlet port 27 and the second workport 25 communicating with the second manifold passage 21 . pressurized engine oil now is fed through the first manifold passage 20 to port 18 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 and oil is drained from that mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 through the second manifold passage 21 to the oil pan , thereby advancing the valve timing . from the de - energized state , application of a relatively small magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 produces movement of the armature 74 and push member 76 toward the valve body 40 . this motion also moves the spool 44 thereby reducing the size of the fluid paths described immediately above . this decreases the flow of engine oil to the cam phasing mechanism 12 which reduces the rate at which the valve timing is being changed . application of a greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 leftward in fig2 into an intermediate position closing the previous path between the second workport 25 and the outlet port 27 , via the spool &# 39 ; s central aperture 48 . the annular spool notch 46 now opens only into the inlet port 26 and both the first and second workports 24 and 25 are closed . this stops movement of the cam phasing mechanism 12 fixing the relationship between the crankshaft and the camshaft on the engine . alternatively , the annular spool notch 46 in the valve body 40 can be configured so that in this intermediate position the first and second workports 24 and 25 both communicate with the inlet port 26 . this applies equal pressure to both the first workport 24 and the second workport 25 . referring still to fig2 , applying a still greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 farther to the left into a position where the first workport 24 communicates with the central aperture 48 through the spool 44 . this opens a fluid path between the first workport 24 and the outlet port 27 . in this position the annular notch 46 of the spool provides a path between the inlet port 26 and only the second workport 25 that leads to the second port 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 . this applies pressurized engine oil to the mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 and drains the oil from the mechanism &# 39 ; s first port 18 to the oil pan , thereby retarding the phase relationship between the cam and crank shafts . the size of the openings between these passages is varied by controlling the magnitude of the electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 to meter the flow of engine oil and thus control the rate at which valve timing changes . the foregoing description was primarily directed to preferred embodiments of the invention . although some attention was given to various alternatives within the scope of the invention , it is anticipated that one skilled in the art will likely realize additional alternatives that are now apparent from disclosure of embodiments of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims and not limited by the above disclosure . | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | 0475ab9646caf6f0e54de2e0458d8fe24f61225b0f7885da1267ab5f6a806674 | 0.000315 | 0.02063 | 0.000216 | 0.001503 | 0.009399 | 0.063477 |
null | referring to fig2 , an electrohydraulic control valve 30 is illustrated inserted into an aperture 32 in a manifold 34 of a conventional variable cam phase adjustment mechanism . the ports 18 and 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 shown in fig1 are connected respectively to two passages 20 and 21 that extend through the manifold 34 and those passages open into the aperture 32 . a supply passage 22 extends between the engine &# 39 ; s oil pump and the manifold aperture 32 , while a return passage 23 at the interior end of the aperture leads to the oil pan ( or tank ) of the engine . the electrohydraulic valve 30 has a tubular valve body 40 with a longitudinal bore 42 and transverse openings which provide ports between the manifold passages and the longitudinal bore . specifically , a first workport 24 connects to the first passage 20 and a second workport 25 communicates with the second passage 21 . an inlet port 26 in the valve body is associated with the supply passage 22 and an outlet port 27 opens into the return passage 23 . a spool 44 is slidably received within the bore 42 of the valve body 40 and has an exterior annular notch 46 which , in selective positions of the spool , provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and one of the two workports 24 and 25 and thus between the associated manifold passages . in a middle , or intermediate , position of the spool travel , the inlet port 26 is closed from both workports 24 and 25 . a central aperture 48 extends between the opposite ends 47 and 49 of the spool 44 . a head 54 projects from the outward end 49 of the valve spool 44 and has an aperture 55 there through . a spring 50 biases the spool 44 away from a nose piece 52 of the valve body 40 . the valve 30 further includes an electromagnetic actuator 56 comprising a solenoid coil 58 in a non - magnetic bobbin 60 , preferably made of plastic molded around the coil to form a solenoid assembly . the solenoid coil 58 is driven by a pulse width modulated ( pwm ) signal having a duty cycle that is varied in a conventional manner to position the spool 44 in the valve body 40 . the pwm signal is applied to the electromagnetic actuator 56 via a connector 57 formed in a lateral projection of the bobbin 60 and connected by wires to the solenoid coil 58 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 further includes two magnetically conductive pole pieces 64 and 66 . the first pole piece 64 has a cylindrical tubular interior section 65 that extends into one end of the bobbin 60 . an o - ring 67 provides a hermetic seal between the first pole piece 64 and the bobbin 60 . the first pole piece 64 has a flange 68 which projects outwardly from the interior section 65 across the outer end of the valve body 40 . the second pole piece 66 has a second tubular section that extending into the opposite end of the bobbin 60 and has an interior end that is spaced from the first pole piece 64 . an annular rib 63 of the bobbin magnetically separates the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the outer end of the second pole piece 66 has an outwardly projecting flange 71 and another o - ring 75 provides a hermetic seal between this flange and the bobbin 60 . a liner tube 62 , preferably of stainless steel , extends through the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the liner tube 62 provides a magnetic barrier between the pole pieces as well as acting as a guide for a sliding plunger 73 . an open end of the liner tube 62 faces the valve body 40 and a closed end is adjacent the outwardly projecting flange 71 of the second pole piece 66 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is enclosed by a metal outer housing 69 that extends around the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 and the bobbin 60 . the open end of the outer housing 69 , adjacent the second pole piece 66 , is crimped to a disk 72 to close that opening . at the opposite end , the outer housing 69 has an inwardly projecting flange 70 which is crimped into a depression , such as an annular groove 61 , in the exterior surface of the valve body 40 , thereby securing those components together . an o - ring 59 provides a fluid tight seal between a flange on the liner tube 62 and the valve body 40 . thus the closed liner tube 62 provides a sealed inner cavity within the electromagnetic actuator 56 that contains the fluid passing through the valve body 40 . with reference to fig2 and 3 , the plunger 73 of the electromagnetic actuator 56 is slidably located within the liner tube 62 and includes an armature 74 of ferromagnetic material . a region 77 at the outer end of the armature 74 has a larger diameter than the remainder of the armature so that only a relatively small surface area engages the inside diameter of the liner tube 62 and a gap 79 exists between most of the armature and the liner tube . by minimizing this surface area of engagement , resistance to the armature 74 sliding in the liner tube 62 is minimized . however , enlarging that gap 79 increases the magnetic impedance which tends to diminish the magnetic force acting on the armature . in response , the inner end of the armature 74 has a tapered recess 81 , which forms a knife edge 82 around the outer perimeter of that end . the magnetic flux flowing between the armature and the first pole piece 64 is concentrated through the region of the knife edge 82 . concentrating the magnetic flux in this manner , counteracts the adverse effect of the gap 79 on the electromagnetic performance of the actuator 56 . the armature 74 has a longitudinal aperture in which a tubular push member 76 is received . both ends of the armature are “ ring staked ” to the push member 76 . as shown in fig4 , ring staking involves forming indentations of the armature end surfaces at locations 85 which pushes that armature material around the aperture tightly against the push member 76 . referring again to fig2 and 3 , the push member 76 projects outward from the open end of the liner tube 62 and abuts the head 54 of the valve spool 44 . the plunger 73 further includes a rolling bearing 80 mounted on the push member 76 between the armature 74 and the valve spool head 54 . an axial force is applied to the plunger 73 by the magnetic flux at the end of the first pole piece 64 and rolling bearing 80 at this location prevents binding of the armature due to that axial force . the rolling bearing 80 comprises a plastic cage 83 with five longitudinal slots 84 equidistantly spaced around its outer surface . a separate chromium plated sphere 86 is located in each slot 84 . each sphere 86 projects from the respective slot into contact with the liner tube 62 and the push member 76 and is able to roll within the respective slot 84 . other forms of rollable elements , such as cylinders , may be used in place of the spheres 86 . the cage 83 is held in place on the push member 76 by a retaining ring 88 . alternatively the cage 83 and the push member 76 can be fabricated as a single plastic part 90 as shown in fig5 . referring specifically to fig2 , the valve 30 is fabricated by placing the solenoid coil 58 in a mold into which molten plastic for the bobbin 60 is injected to encapsulate the solenoid coil . after that molded assembly has hardened , the first pole piece 64 along with the inner o - ring 67 and the second pole piece 66 with the outer o - ring 75 are placed into the bobbin . the assembly then is inserted into the outer housing 69 . next the disk 72 is positioned in the open end of the outer housing 69 and crimped in place . the liner tube 62 is inserted into the other end of the first pole piece 64 and the plunger 73 is slid into the liner tube 62 , thereby completing assembly of the electromagnetic actuator 56 . the valve components then are assembled into the valve body 40 and the nose piece 52 is pressed into the valve body to provide a spring preload . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is placed on the end of the valve body 40 with o - ring 59 between the valve body 40 and the flange of the liner tube 62 to provide a hydraulic seal . then , the flange 70 is crimped into an annular groove 61 in the valve body 40 securing the components together . references herein to directional relationships and movement , such as upper and lower or up and down , refer to the relationship and movement of the components in the orientation illustrated in the drawings , which may not be the orientation of the components as attached to machinery . when the electrohydraulic valve 30 is not activated by electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 , the spring 50 forces the spool 44 into a position at which the annular notch 46 provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and the first workport 24 leading to the first manifold passage 20 . in this de - energized state , the inner end of the spool 44 is positioned to the right which opens a path between the outlet port 27 and the second workport 25 communicating with the second manifold passage 21 . pressurized engine oil now is fed through the first manifold passage 20 to port 18 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 and oil is drained from that mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 through the second manifold passage 21 to the oil pan , thereby advancing the valve timing . from the de - energized state , application of a relatively small magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 produces movement of the armature 74 and push member 76 toward the valve body 40 . this motion also moves the spool 44 thereby reducing the size of the fluid paths described immediately above . this decreases the flow of engine oil to the cam phasing mechanism 12 which reduces the rate at which the valve timing is being changed . application of a greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 leftward in fig2 into an intermediate position closing the previous path between the second workport 25 and the outlet port 27 , via the spool &# 39 ; s central aperture 48 . the annular spool notch 46 now opens only into the inlet port 26 and both the first and second workports 24 and 25 are closed . this stops movement of the cam phasing mechanism 12 fixing the relationship between the crankshaft and the camshaft on the engine . alternatively , the annular spool notch 46 in the valve body 40 can be configured so that in this intermediate position the first and second workports 24 and 25 both communicate with the inlet port 26 . this applies equal pressure to both the first workport 24 and the second workport 25 . referring still to fig2 , applying a still greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 farther to the left into a position where the first workport 24 communicates with the central aperture 48 through the spool 44 . this opens a fluid path between the first workport 24 and the outlet port 27 . in this position the annular notch 46 of the spool provides a path between the inlet port 26 and only the second workport 25 that leads to the second port 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 . this applies pressurized engine oil to the mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 and drains the oil from the mechanism &# 39 ; s first port 18 to the oil pan , thereby retarding the phase relationship between the cam and crank shafts . the size of the openings between these passages is varied by controlling the magnitude of the electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 to meter the flow of engine oil and thus control the rate at which valve timing changes . the foregoing description was primarily directed to preferred embodiments of the invention . although some attention was given to various alternatives within the scope of the invention , it is anticipated that one skilled in the art will likely realize additional alternatives that are now apparent from disclosure of embodiments of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims and not limited by the above disclosure . | Is 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | 0475ab9646caf6f0e54de2e0458d8fe24f61225b0f7885da1267ab5f6a806674 | 0.003174 | 0.013611 | 0.000572 | 0.000096 | 0.013245 | 0.008301 |
null | referring to fig2 , an electrohydraulic control valve 30 is illustrated inserted into an aperture 32 in a manifold 34 of a conventional variable cam phase adjustment mechanism . the ports 18 and 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 shown in fig1 are connected respectively to two passages 20 and 21 that extend through the manifold 34 and those passages open into the aperture 32 . a supply passage 22 extends between the engine &# 39 ; s oil pump and the manifold aperture 32 , while a return passage 23 at the interior end of the aperture leads to the oil pan ( or tank ) of the engine . the electrohydraulic valve 30 has a tubular valve body 40 with a longitudinal bore 42 and transverse openings which provide ports between the manifold passages and the longitudinal bore . specifically , a first workport 24 connects to the first passage 20 and a second workport 25 communicates with the second passage 21 . an inlet port 26 in the valve body is associated with the supply passage 22 and an outlet port 27 opens into the return passage 23 . a spool 44 is slidably received within the bore 42 of the valve body 40 and has an exterior annular notch 46 which , in selective positions of the spool , provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and one of the two workports 24 and 25 and thus between the associated manifold passages . in a middle , or intermediate , position of the spool travel , the inlet port 26 is closed from both workports 24 and 25 . a central aperture 48 extends between the opposite ends 47 and 49 of the spool 44 . a head 54 projects from the outward end 49 of the valve spool 44 and has an aperture 55 there through . a spring 50 biases the spool 44 away from a nose piece 52 of the valve body 40 . the valve 30 further includes an electromagnetic actuator 56 comprising a solenoid coil 58 in a non - magnetic bobbin 60 , preferably made of plastic molded around the coil to form a solenoid assembly . the solenoid coil 58 is driven by a pulse width modulated ( pwm ) signal having a duty cycle that is varied in a conventional manner to position the spool 44 in the valve body 40 . the pwm signal is applied to the electromagnetic actuator 56 via a connector 57 formed in a lateral projection of the bobbin 60 and connected by wires to the solenoid coil 58 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 further includes two magnetically conductive pole pieces 64 and 66 . the first pole piece 64 has a cylindrical tubular interior section 65 that extends into one end of the bobbin 60 . an o - ring 67 provides a hermetic seal between the first pole piece 64 and the bobbin 60 . the first pole piece 64 has a flange 68 which projects outwardly from the interior section 65 across the outer end of the valve body 40 . the second pole piece 66 has a second tubular section that extending into the opposite end of the bobbin 60 and has an interior end that is spaced from the first pole piece 64 . an annular rib 63 of the bobbin magnetically separates the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the outer end of the second pole piece 66 has an outwardly projecting flange 71 and another o - ring 75 provides a hermetic seal between this flange and the bobbin 60 . a liner tube 62 , preferably of stainless steel , extends through the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the liner tube 62 provides a magnetic barrier between the pole pieces as well as acting as a guide for a sliding plunger 73 . an open end of the liner tube 62 faces the valve body 40 and a closed end is adjacent the outwardly projecting flange 71 of the second pole piece 66 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is enclosed by a metal outer housing 69 that extends around the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 and the bobbin 60 . the open end of the outer housing 69 , adjacent the second pole piece 66 , is crimped to a disk 72 to close that opening . at the opposite end , the outer housing 69 has an inwardly projecting flange 70 which is crimped into a depression , such as an annular groove 61 , in the exterior surface of the valve body 40 , thereby securing those components together . an o - ring 59 provides a fluid tight seal between a flange on the liner tube 62 and the valve body 40 . thus the closed liner tube 62 provides a sealed inner cavity within the electromagnetic actuator 56 that contains the fluid passing through the valve body 40 . with reference to fig2 and 3 , the plunger 73 of the electromagnetic actuator 56 is slidably located within the liner tube 62 and includes an armature 74 of ferromagnetic material . a region 77 at the outer end of the armature 74 has a larger diameter than the remainder of the armature so that only a relatively small surface area engages the inside diameter of the liner tube 62 and a gap 79 exists between most of the armature and the liner tube . by minimizing this surface area of engagement , resistance to the armature 74 sliding in the liner tube 62 is minimized . however , enlarging that gap 79 increases the magnetic impedance which tends to diminish the magnetic force acting on the armature . in response , the inner end of the armature 74 has a tapered recess 81 , which forms a knife edge 82 around the outer perimeter of that end . the magnetic flux flowing between the armature and the first pole piece 64 is concentrated through the region of the knife edge 82 . concentrating the magnetic flux in this manner , counteracts the adverse effect of the gap 79 on the electromagnetic performance of the actuator 56 . the armature 74 has a longitudinal aperture in which a tubular push member 76 is received . both ends of the armature are “ ring staked ” to the push member 76 . as shown in fig4 , ring staking involves forming indentations of the armature end surfaces at locations 85 which pushes that armature material around the aperture tightly against the push member 76 . referring again to fig2 and 3 , the push member 76 projects outward from the open end of the liner tube 62 and abuts the head 54 of the valve spool 44 . the plunger 73 further includes a rolling bearing 80 mounted on the push member 76 between the armature 74 and the valve spool head 54 . an axial force is applied to the plunger 73 by the magnetic flux at the end of the first pole piece 64 and rolling bearing 80 at this location prevents binding of the armature due to that axial force . the rolling bearing 80 comprises a plastic cage 83 with five longitudinal slots 84 equidistantly spaced around its outer surface . a separate chromium plated sphere 86 is located in each slot 84 . each sphere 86 projects from the respective slot into contact with the liner tube 62 and the push member 76 and is able to roll within the respective slot 84 . other forms of rollable elements , such as cylinders , may be used in place of the spheres 86 . the cage 83 is held in place on the push member 76 by a retaining ring 88 . alternatively the cage 83 and the push member 76 can be fabricated as a single plastic part 90 as shown in fig5 . referring specifically to fig2 , the valve 30 is fabricated by placing the solenoid coil 58 in a mold into which molten plastic for the bobbin 60 is injected to encapsulate the solenoid coil . after that molded assembly has hardened , the first pole piece 64 along with the inner o - ring 67 and the second pole piece 66 with the outer o - ring 75 are placed into the bobbin . the assembly then is inserted into the outer housing 69 . next the disk 72 is positioned in the open end of the outer housing 69 and crimped in place . the liner tube 62 is inserted into the other end of the first pole piece 64 and the plunger 73 is slid into the liner tube 62 , thereby completing assembly of the electromagnetic actuator 56 . the valve components then are assembled into the valve body 40 and the nose piece 52 is pressed into the valve body to provide a spring preload . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is placed on the end of the valve body 40 with o - ring 59 between the valve body 40 and the flange of the liner tube 62 to provide a hydraulic seal . then , the flange 70 is crimped into an annular groove 61 in the valve body 40 securing the components together . references herein to directional relationships and movement , such as upper and lower or up and down , refer to the relationship and movement of the components in the orientation illustrated in the drawings , which may not be the orientation of the components as attached to machinery . when the electrohydraulic valve 30 is not activated by electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 , the spring 50 forces the spool 44 into a position at which the annular notch 46 provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and the first workport 24 leading to the first manifold passage 20 . in this de - energized state , the inner end of the spool 44 is positioned to the right which opens a path between the outlet port 27 and the second workport 25 communicating with the second manifold passage 21 . pressurized engine oil now is fed through the first manifold passage 20 to port 18 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 and oil is drained from that mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 through the second manifold passage 21 to the oil pan , thereby advancing the valve timing . from the de - energized state , application of a relatively small magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 produces movement of the armature 74 and push member 76 toward the valve body 40 . this motion also moves the spool 44 thereby reducing the size of the fluid paths described immediately above . this decreases the flow of engine oil to the cam phasing mechanism 12 which reduces the rate at which the valve timing is being changed . application of a greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 leftward in fig2 into an intermediate position closing the previous path between the second workport 25 and the outlet port 27 , via the spool &# 39 ; s central aperture 48 . the annular spool notch 46 now opens only into the inlet port 26 and both the first and second workports 24 and 25 are closed . this stops movement of the cam phasing mechanism 12 fixing the relationship between the crankshaft and the camshaft on the engine . alternatively , the annular spool notch 46 in the valve body 40 can be configured so that in this intermediate position the first and second workports 24 and 25 both communicate with the inlet port 26 . this applies equal pressure to both the first workport 24 and the second workport 25 . referring still to fig2 , applying a still greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 farther to the left into a position where the first workport 24 communicates with the central aperture 48 through the spool 44 . this opens a fluid path between the first workport 24 and the outlet port 27 . in this position the annular notch 46 of the spool provides a path between the inlet port 26 and only the second workport 25 that leads to the second port 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 . this applies pressurized engine oil to the mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 and drains the oil from the mechanism &# 39 ; s first port 18 to the oil pan , thereby retarding the phase relationship between the cam and crank shafts . the size of the openings between these passages is varied by controlling the magnitude of the electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 to meter the flow of engine oil and thus control the rate at which valve timing changes . the foregoing description was primarily directed to preferred embodiments of the invention . although some attention was given to various alternatives within the scope of the invention , it is anticipated that one skilled in the art will likely realize additional alternatives that are now apparent from disclosure of embodiments of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims and not limited by the above disclosure . | 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 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | 0475ab9646caf6f0e54de2e0458d8fe24f61225b0f7885da1267ab5f6a806674 | 0.001366 | 0.002472 | 0.000404 | 0.00002 | 0.014526 | 0.01001 |
null | referring to fig2 , an electrohydraulic control valve 30 is illustrated inserted into an aperture 32 in a manifold 34 of a conventional variable cam phase adjustment mechanism . the ports 18 and 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 shown in fig1 are connected respectively to two passages 20 and 21 that extend through the manifold 34 and those passages open into the aperture 32 . a supply passage 22 extends between the engine &# 39 ; s oil pump and the manifold aperture 32 , while a return passage 23 at the interior end of the aperture leads to the oil pan ( or tank ) of the engine . the electrohydraulic valve 30 has a tubular valve body 40 with a longitudinal bore 42 and transverse openings which provide ports between the manifold passages and the longitudinal bore . specifically , a first workport 24 connects to the first passage 20 and a second workport 25 communicates with the second passage 21 . an inlet port 26 in the valve body is associated with the supply passage 22 and an outlet port 27 opens into the return passage 23 . a spool 44 is slidably received within the bore 42 of the valve body 40 and has an exterior annular notch 46 which , in selective positions of the spool , provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and one of the two workports 24 and 25 and thus between the associated manifold passages . in a middle , or intermediate , position of the spool travel , the inlet port 26 is closed from both workports 24 and 25 . a central aperture 48 extends between the opposite ends 47 and 49 of the spool 44 . a head 54 projects from the outward end 49 of the valve spool 44 and has an aperture 55 there through . a spring 50 biases the spool 44 away from a nose piece 52 of the valve body 40 . the valve 30 further includes an electromagnetic actuator 56 comprising a solenoid coil 58 in a non - magnetic bobbin 60 , preferably made of plastic molded around the coil to form a solenoid assembly . the solenoid coil 58 is driven by a pulse width modulated ( pwm ) signal having a duty cycle that is varied in a conventional manner to position the spool 44 in the valve body 40 . the pwm signal is applied to the electromagnetic actuator 56 via a connector 57 formed in a lateral projection of the bobbin 60 and connected by wires to the solenoid coil 58 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 further includes two magnetically conductive pole pieces 64 and 66 . the first pole piece 64 has a cylindrical tubular interior section 65 that extends into one end of the bobbin 60 . an o - ring 67 provides a hermetic seal between the first pole piece 64 and the bobbin 60 . the first pole piece 64 has a flange 68 which projects outwardly from the interior section 65 across the outer end of the valve body 40 . the second pole piece 66 has a second tubular section that extending into the opposite end of the bobbin 60 and has an interior end that is spaced from the first pole piece 64 . an annular rib 63 of the bobbin magnetically separates the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the outer end of the second pole piece 66 has an outwardly projecting flange 71 and another o - ring 75 provides a hermetic seal between this flange and the bobbin 60 . a liner tube 62 , preferably of stainless steel , extends through the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the liner tube 62 provides a magnetic barrier between the pole pieces as well as acting as a guide for a sliding plunger 73 . an open end of the liner tube 62 faces the valve body 40 and a closed end is adjacent the outwardly projecting flange 71 of the second pole piece 66 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is enclosed by a metal outer housing 69 that extends around the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 and the bobbin 60 . the open end of the outer housing 69 , adjacent the second pole piece 66 , is crimped to a disk 72 to close that opening . at the opposite end , the outer housing 69 has an inwardly projecting flange 70 which is crimped into a depression , such as an annular groove 61 , in the exterior surface of the valve body 40 , thereby securing those components together . an o - ring 59 provides a fluid tight seal between a flange on the liner tube 62 and the valve body 40 . thus the closed liner tube 62 provides a sealed inner cavity within the electromagnetic actuator 56 that contains the fluid passing through the valve body 40 . with reference to fig2 and 3 , the plunger 73 of the electromagnetic actuator 56 is slidably located within the liner tube 62 and includes an armature 74 of ferromagnetic material . a region 77 at the outer end of the armature 74 has a larger diameter than the remainder of the armature so that only a relatively small surface area engages the inside diameter of the liner tube 62 and a gap 79 exists between most of the armature and the liner tube . by minimizing this surface area of engagement , resistance to the armature 74 sliding in the liner tube 62 is minimized . however , enlarging that gap 79 increases the magnetic impedance which tends to diminish the magnetic force acting on the armature . in response , the inner end of the armature 74 has a tapered recess 81 , which forms a knife edge 82 around the outer perimeter of that end . the magnetic flux flowing between the armature and the first pole piece 64 is concentrated through the region of the knife edge 82 . concentrating the magnetic flux in this manner , counteracts the adverse effect of the gap 79 on the electromagnetic performance of the actuator 56 . the armature 74 has a longitudinal aperture in which a tubular push member 76 is received . both ends of the armature are “ ring staked ” to the push member 76 . as shown in fig4 , ring staking involves forming indentations of the armature end surfaces at locations 85 which pushes that armature material around the aperture tightly against the push member 76 . referring again to fig2 and 3 , the push member 76 projects outward from the open end of the liner tube 62 and abuts the head 54 of the valve spool 44 . the plunger 73 further includes a rolling bearing 80 mounted on the push member 76 between the armature 74 and the valve spool head 54 . an axial force is applied to the plunger 73 by the magnetic flux at the end of the first pole piece 64 and rolling bearing 80 at this location prevents binding of the armature due to that axial force . the rolling bearing 80 comprises a plastic cage 83 with five longitudinal slots 84 equidistantly spaced around its outer surface . a separate chromium plated sphere 86 is located in each slot 84 . each sphere 86 projects from the respective slot into contact with the liner tube 62 and the push member 76 and is able to roll within the respective slot 84 . other forms of rollable elements , such as cylinders , may be used in place of the spheres 86 . the cage 83 is held in place on the push member 76 by a retaining ring 88 . alternatively the cage 83 and the push member 76 can be fabricated as a single plastic part 90 as shown in fig5 . referring specifically to fig2 , the valve 30 is fabricated by placing the solenoid coil 58 in a mold into which molten plastic for the bobbin 60 is injected to encapsulate the solenoid coil . after that molded assembly has hardened , the first pole piece 64 along with the inner o - ring 67 and the second pole piece 66 with the outer o - ring 75 are placed into the bobbin . the assembly then is inserted into the outer housing 69 . next the disk 72 is positioned in the open end of the outer housing 69 and crimped in place . the liner tube 62 is inserted into the other end of the first pole piece 64 and the plunger 73 is slid into the liner tube 62 , thereby completing assembly of the electromagnetic actuator 56 . the valve components then are assembled into the valve body 40 and the nose piece 52 is pressed into the valve body to provide a spring preload . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is placed on the end of the valve body 40 with o - ring 59 between the valve body 40 and the flange of the liner tube 62 to provide a hydraulic seal . then , the flange 70 is crimped into an annular groove 61 in the valve body 40 securing the components together . references herein to directional relationships and movement , such as upper and lower or up and down , refer to the relationship and movement of the components in the orientation illustrated in the drawings , which may not be the orientation of the components as attached to machinery . when the electrohydraulic valve 30 is not activated by electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 , the spring 50 forces the spool 44 into a position at which the annular notch 46 provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and the first workport 24 leading to the first manifold passage 20 . in this de - energized state , the inner end of the spool 44 is positioned to the right which opens a path between the outlet port 27 and the second workport 25 communicating with the second manifold passage 21 . pressurized engine oil now is fed through the first manifold passage 20 to port 18 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 and oil is drained from that mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 through the second manifold passage 21 to the oil pan , thereby advancing the valve timing . from the de - energized state , application of a relatively small magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 produces movement of the armature 74 and push member 76 toward the valve body 40 . this motion also moves the spool 44 thereby reducing the size of the fluid paths described immediately above . this decreases the flow of engine oil to the cam phasing mechanism 12 which reduces the rate at which the valve timing is being changed . application of a greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 leftward in fig2 into an intermediate position closing the previous path between the second workport 25 and the outlet port 27 , via the spool &# 39 ; s central aperture 48 . the annular spool notch 46 now opens only into the inlet port 26 and both the first and second workports 24 and 25 are closed . this stops movement of the cam phasing mechanism 12 fixing the relationship between the crankshaft and the camshaft on the engine . alternatively , the annular spool notch 46 in the valve body 40 can be configured so that in this intermediate position the first and second workports 24 and 25 both communicate with the inlet port 26 . this applies equal pressure to both the first workport 24 and the second workport 25 . referring still to fig2 , applying a still greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 farther to the left into a position where the first workport 24 communicates with the central aperture 48 through the spool 44 . this opens a fluid path between the first workport 24 and the outlet port 27 . in this position the annular notch 46 of the spool provides a path between the inlet port 26 and only the second workport 25 that leads to the second port 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 . this applies pressurized engine oil to the mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 and drains the oil from the mechanism &# 39 ; s first port 18 to the oil pan , thereby retarding the phase relationship between the cam and crank shafts . the size of the openings between these passages is varied by controlling the magnitude of the electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 to meter the flow of engine oil and thus control the rate at which valve timing changes . the foregoing description was primarily directed to preferred embodiments of the invention . although some attention was given to various alternatives within the scope of the invention , it is anticipated that one skilled in the art will likely realize additional alternatives that are now apparent from disclosure of embodiments of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims and not limited by the above disclosure . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Is 'Fixed Constructions' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 0475ab9646caf6f0e54de2e0458d8fe24f61225b0f7885da1267ab5f6a806674 | 0.001366 | 0.066406 | 0.000404 | 0.03418 | 0.014526 | 0.080566 |
null | referring to fig2 , an electrohydraulic control valve 30 is illustrated inserted into an aperture 32 in a manifold 34 of a conventional variable cam phase adjustment mechanism . the ports 18 and 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 shown in fig1 are connected respectively to two passages 20 and 21 that extend through the manifold 34 and those passages open into the aperture 32 . a supply passage 22 extends between the engine &# 39 ; s oil pump and the manifold aperture 32 , while a return passage 23 at the interior end of the aperture leads to the oil pan ( or tank ) of the engine . the electrohydraulic valve 30 has a tubular valve body 40 with a longitudinal bore 42 and transverse openings which provide ports between the manifold passages and the longitudinal bore . specifically , a first workport 24 connects to the first passage 20 and a second workport 25 communicates with the second passage 21 . an inlet port 26 in the valve body is associated with the supply passage 22 and an outlet port 27 opens into the return passage 23 . a spool 44 is slidably received within the bore 42 of the valve body 40 and has an exterior annular notch 46 which , in selective positions of the spool , provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and one of the two workports 24 and 25 and thus between the associated manifold passages . in a middle , or intermediate , position of the spool travel , the inlet port 26 is closed from both workports 24 and 25 . a central aperture 48 extends between the opposite ends 47 and 49 of the spool 44 . a head 54 projects from the outward end 49 of the valve spool 44 and has an aperture 55 there through . a spring 50 biases the spool 44 away from a nose piece 52 of the valve body 40 . the valve 30 further includes an electromagnetic actuator 56 comprising a solenoid coil 58 in a non - magnetic bobbin 60 , preferably made of plastic molded around the coil to form a solenoid assembly . the solenoid coil 58 is driven by a pulse width modulated ( pwm ) signal having a duty cycle that is varied in a conventional manner to position the spool 44 in the valve body 40 . the pwm signal is applied to the electromagnetic actuator 56 via a connector 57 formed in a lateral projection of the bobbin 60 and connected by wires to the solenoid coil 58 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 further includes two magnetically conductive pole pieces 64 and 66 . the first pole piece 64 has a cylindrical tubular interior section 65 that extends into one end of the bobbin 60 . an o - ring 67 provides a hermetic seal between the first pole piece 64 and the bobbin 60 . the first pole piece 64 has a flange 68 which projects outwardly from the interior section 65 across the outer end of the valve body 40 . the second pole piece 66 has a second tubular section that extending into the opposite end of the bobbin 60 and has an interior end that is spaced from the first pole piece 64 . an annular rib 63 of the bobbin magnetically separates the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the outer end of the second pole piece 66 has an outwardly projecting flange 71 and another o - ring 75 provides a hermetic seal between this flange and the bobbin 60 . a liner tube 62 , preferably of stainless steel , extends through the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the liner tube 62 provides a magnetic barrier between the pole pieces as well as acting as a guide for a sliding plunger 73 . an open end of the liner tube 62 faces the valve body 40 and a closed end is adjacent the outwardly projecting flange 71 of the second pole piece 66 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is enclosed by a metal outer housing 69 that extends around the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 and the bobbin 60 . the open end of the outer housing 69 , adjacent the second pole piece 66 , is crimped to a disk 72 to close that opening . at the opposite end , the outer housing 69 has an inwardly projecting flange 70 which is crimped into a depression , such as an annular groove 61 , in the exterior surface of the valve body 40 , thereby securing those components together . an o - ring 59 provides a fluid tight seal between a flange on the liner tube 62 and the valve body 40 . thus the closed liner tube 62 provides a sealed inner cavity within the electromagnetic actuator 56 that contains the fluid passing through the valve body 40 . with reference to fig2 and 3 , the plunger 73 of the electromagnetic actuator 56 is slidably located within the liner tube 62 and includes an armature 74 of ferromagnetic material . a region 77 at the outer end of the armature 74 has a larger diameter than the remainder of the armature so that only a relatively small surface area engages the inside diameter of the liner tube 62 and a gap 79 exists between most of the armature and the liner tube . by minimizing this surface area of engagement , resistance to the armature 74 sliding in the liner tube 62 is minimized . however , enlarging that gap 79 increases the magnetic impedance which tends to diminish the magnetic force acting on the armature . in response , the inner end of the armature 74 has a tapered recess 81 , which forms a knife edge 82 around the outer perimeter of that end . the magnetic flux flowing between the armature and the first pole piece 64 is concentrated through the region of the knife edge 82 . concentrating the magnetic flux in this manner , counteracts the adverse effect of the gap 79 on the electromagnetic performance of the actuator 56 . the armature 74 has a longitudinal aperture in which a tubular push member 76 is received . both ends of the armature are “ ring staked ” to the push member 76 . as shown in fig4 , ring staking involves forming indentations of the armature end surfaces at locations 85 which pushes that armature material around the aperture tightly against the push member 76 . referring again to fig2 and 3 , the push member 76 projects outward from the open end of the liner tube 62 and abuts the head 54 of the valve spool 44 . the plunger 73 further includes a rolling bearing 80 mounted on the push member 76 between the armature 74 and the valve spool head 54 . an axial force is applied to the plunger 73 by the magnetic flux at the end of the first pole piece 64 and rolling bearing 80 at this location prevents binding of the armature due to that axial force . the rolling bearing 80 comprises a plastic cage 83 with five longitudinal slots 84 equidistantly spaced around its outer surface . a separate chromium plated sphere 86 is located in each slot 84 . each sphere 86 projects from the respective slot into contact with the liner tube 62 and the push member 76 and is able to roll within the respective slot 84 . other forms of rollable elements , such as cylinders , may be used in place of the spheres 86 . the cage 83 is held in place on the push member 76 by a retaining ring 88 . alternatively the cage 83 and the push member 76 can be fabricated as a single plastic part 90 as shown in fig5 . referring specifically to fig2 , the valve 30 is fabricated by placing the solenoid coil 58 in a mold into which molten plastic for the bobbin 60 is injected to encapsulate the solenoid coil . after that molded assembly has hardened , the first pole piece 64 along with the inner o - ring 67 and the second pole piece 66 with the outer o - ring 75 are placed into the bobbin . the assembly then is inserted into the outer housing 69 . next the disk 72 is positioned in the open end of the outer housing 69 and crimped in place . the liner tube 62 is inserted into the other end of the first pole piece 64 and the plunger 73 is slid into the liner tube 62 , thereby completing assembly of the electromagnetic actuator 56 . the valve components then are assembled into the valve body 40 and the nose piece 52 is pressed into the valve body to provide a spring preload . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is placed on the end of the valve body 40 with o - ring 59 between the valve body 40 and the flange of the liner tube 62 to provide a hydraulic seal . then , the flange 70 is crimped into an annular groove 61 in the valve body 40 securing the components together . references herein to directional relationships and movement , such as upper and lower or up and down , refer to the relationship and movement of the components in the orientation illustrated in the drawings , which may not be the orientation of the components as attached to machinery . when the electrohydraulic valve 30 is not activated by electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 , the spring 50 forces the spool 44 into a position at which the annular notch 46 provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and the first workport 24 leading to the first manifold passage 20 . in this de - energized state , the inner end of the spool 44 is positioned to the right which opens a path between the outlet port 27 and the second workport 25 communicating with the second manifold passage 21 . pressurized engine oil now is fed through the first manifold passage 20 to port 18 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 and oil is drained from that mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 through the second manifold passage 21 to the oil pan , thereby advancing the valve timing . from the de - energized state , application of a relatively small magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 produces movement of the armature 74 and push member 76 toward the valve body 40 . this motion also moves the spool 44 thereby reducing the size of the fluid paths described immediately above . this decreases the flow of engine oil to the cam phasing mechanism 12 which reduces the rate at which the valve timing is being changed . application of a greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 leftward in fig2 into an intermediate position closing the previous path between the second workport 25 and the outlet port 27 , via the spool &# 39 ; s central aperture 48 . the annular spool notch 46 now opens only into the inlet port 26 and both the first and second workports 24 and 25 are closed . this stops movement of the cam phasing mechanism 12 fixing the relationship between the crankshaft and the camshaft on the engine . alternatively , the annular spool notch 46 in the valve body 40 can be configured so that in this intermediate position the first and second workports 24 and 25 both communicate with the inlet port 26 . this applies equal pressure to both the first workport 24 and the second workport 25 . referring still to fig2 , applying a still greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 farther to the left into a position where the first workport 24 communicates with the central aperture 48 through the spool 44 . this opens a fluid path between the first workport 24 and the outlet port 27 . in this position the annular notch 46 of the spool provides a path between the inlet port 26 and only the second workport 25 that leads to the second port 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 . this applies pressurized engine oil to the mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 and drains the oil from the mechanism &# 39 ; s first port 18 to the oil pan , thereby retarding the phase relationship between the cam and crank shafts . the size of the openings between these passages is varied by controlling the magnitude of the electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 to meter the flow of engine oil and thus control the rate at which valve timing changes . the foregoing description was primarily directed to preferred embodiments of the invention . although some attention was given to various alternatives within the scope of the invention , it is anticipated that one skilled in the art will likely realize additional alternatives that are now apparent from disclosure of embodiments of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims and not limited by the above disclosure . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 0475ab9646caf6f0e54de2e0458d8fe24f61225b0f7885da1267ab5f6a806674 | 0.002121 | 0.182617 | 0.001457 | 0.029785 | 0.029297 | 0.15918 |
null | referring to fig2 , an electrohydraulic control valve 30 is illustrated inserted into an aperture 32 in a manifold 34 of a conventional variable cam phase adjustment mechanism . the ports 18 and 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 shown in fig1 are connected respectively to two passages 20 and 21 that extend through the manifold 34 and those passages open into the aperture 32 . a supply passage 22 extends between the engine &# 39 ; s oil pump and the manifold aperture 32 , while a return passage 23 at the interior end of the aperture leads to the oil pan ( or tank ) of the engine . the electrohydraulic valve 30 has a tubular valve body 40 with a longitudinal bore 42 and transverse openings which provide ports between the manifold passages and the longitudinal bore . specifically , a first workport 24 connects to the first passage 20 and a second workport 25 communicates with the second passage 21 . an inlet port 26 in the valve body is associated with the supply passage 22 and an outlet port 27 opens into the return passage 23 . a spool 44 is slidably received within the bore 42 of the valve body 40 and has an exterior annular notch 46 which , in selective positions of the spool , provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and one of the two workports 24 and 25 and thus between the associated manifold passages . in a middle , or intermediate , position of the spool travel , the inlet port 26 is closed from both workports 24 and 25 . a central aperture 48 extends between the opposite ends 47 and 49 of the spool 44 . a head 54 projects from the outward end 49 of the valve spool 44 and has an aperture 55 there through . a spring 50 biases the spool 44 away from a nose piece 52 of the valve body 40 . the valve 30 further includes an electromagnetic actuator 56 comprising a solenoid coil 58 in a non - magnetic bobbin 60 , preferably made of plastic molded around the coil to form a solenoid assembly . the solenoid coil 58 is driven by a pulse width modulated ( pwm ) signal having a duty cycle that is varied in a conventional manner to position the spool 44 in the valve body 40 . the pwm signal is applied to the electromagnetic actuator 56 via a connector 57 formed in a lateral projection of the bobbin 60 and connected by wires to the solenoid coil 58 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 further includes two magnetically conductive pole pieces 64 and 66 . the first pole piece 64 has a cylindrical tubular interior section 65 that extends into one end of the bobbin 60 . an o - ring 67 provides a hermetic seal between the first pole piece 64 and the bobbin 60 . the first pole piece 64 has a flange 68 which projects outwardly from the interior section 65 across the outer end of the valve body 40 . the second pole piece 66 has a second tubular section that extending into the opposite end of the bobbin 60 and has an interior end that is spaced from the first pole piece 64 . an annular rib 63 of the bobbin magnetically separates the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the outer end of the second pole piece 66 has an outwardly projecting flange 71 and another o - ring 75 provides a hermetic seal between this flange and the bobbin 60 . a liner tube 62 , preferably of stainless steel , extends through the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the liner tube 62 provides a magnetic barrier between the pole pieces as well as acting as a guide for a sliding plunger 73 . an open end of the liner tube 62 faces the valve body 40 and a closed end is adjacent the outwardly projecting flange 71 of the second pole piece 66 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is enclosed by a metal outer housing 69 that extends around the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 and the bobbin 60 . the open end of the outer housing 69 , adjacent the second pole piece 66 , is crimped to a disk 72 to close that opening . at the opposite end , the outer housing 69 has an inwardly projecting flange 70 which is crimped into a depression , such as an annular groove 61 , in the exterior surface of the valve body 40 , thereby securing those components together . an o - ring 59 provides a fluid tight seal between a flange on the liner tube 62 and the valve body 40 . thus the closed liner tube 62 provides a sealed inner cavity within the electromagnetic actuator 56 that contains the fluid passing through the valve body 40 . with reference to fig2 and 3 , the plunger 73 of the electromagnetic actuator 56 is slidably located within the liner tube 62 and includes an armature 74 of ferromagnetic material . a region 77 at the outer end of the armature 74 has a larger diameter than the remainder of the armature so that only a relatively small surface area engages the inside diameter of the liner tube 62 and a gap 79 exists between most of the armature and the liner tube . by minimizing this surface area of engagement , resistance to the armature 74 sliding in the liner tube 62 is minimized . however , enlarging that gap 79 increases the magnetic impedance which tends to diminish the magnetic force acting on the armature . in response , the inner end of the armature 74 has a tapered recess 81 , which forms a knife edge 82 around the outer perimeter of that end . the magnetic flux flowing between the armature and the first pole piece 64 is concentrated through the region of the knife edge 82 . concentrating the magnetic flux in this manner , counteracts the adverse effect of the gap 79 on the electromagnetic performance of the actuator 56 . the armature 74 has a longitudinal aperture in which a tubular push member 76 is received . both ends of the armature are “ ring staked ” to the push member 76 . as shown in fig4 , ring staking involves forming indentations of the armature end surfaces at locations 85 which pushes that armature material around the aperture tightly against the push member 76 . referring again to fig2 and 3 , the push member 76 projects outward from the open end of the liner tube 62 and abuts the head 54 of the valve spool 44 . the plunger 73 further includes a rolling bearing 80 mounted on the push member 76 between the armature 74 and the valve spool head 54 . an axial force is applied to the plunger 73 by the magnetic flux at the end of the first pole piece 64 and rolling bearing 80 at this location prevents binding of the armature due to that axial force . the rolling bearing 80 comprises a plastic cage 83 with five longitudinal slots 84 equidistantly spaced around its outer surface . a separate chromium plated sphere 86 is located in each slot 84 . each sphere 86 projects from the respective slot into contact with the liner tube 62 and the push member 76 and is able to roll within the respective slot 84 . other forms of rollable elements , such as cylinders , may be used in place of the spheres 86 . the cage 83 is held in place on the push member 76 by a retaining ring 88 . alternatively the cage 83 and the push member 76 can be fabricated as a single plastic part 90 as shown in fig5 . referring specifically to fig2 , the valve 30 is fabricated by placing the solenoid coil 58 in a mold into which molten plastic for the bobbin 60 is injected to encapsulate the solenoid coil . after that molded assembly has hardened , the first pole piece 64 along with the inner o - ring 67 and the second pole piece 66 with the outer o - ring 75 are placed into the bobbin . the assembly then is inserted into the outer housing 69 . next the disk 72 is positioned in the open end of the outer housing 69 and crimped in place . the liner tube 62 is inserted into the other end of the first pole piece 64 and the plunger 73 is slid into the liner tube 62 , thereby completing assembly of the electromagnetic actuator 56 . the valve components then are assembled into the valve body 40 and the nose piece 52 is pressed into the valve body to provide a spring preload . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is placed on the end of the valve body 40 with o - ring 59 between the valve body 40 and the flange of the liner tube 62 to provide a hydraulic seal . then , the flange 70 is crimped into an annular groove 61 in the valve body 40 securing the components together . references herein to directional relationships and movement , such as upper and lower or up and down , refer to the relationship and movement of the components in the orientation illustrated in the drawings , which may not be the orientation of the components as attached to machinery . when the electrohydraulic valve 30 is not activated by electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 , the spring 50 forces the spool 44 into a position at which the annular notch 46 provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and the first workport 24 leading to the first manifold passage 20 . in this de - energized state , the inner end of the spool 44 is positioned to the right which opens a path between the outlet port 27 and the second workport 25 communicating with the second manifold passage 21 . pressurized engine oil now is fed through the first manifold passage 20 to port 18 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 and oil is drained from that mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 through the second manifold passage 21 to the oil pan , thereby advancing the valve timing . from the de - energized state , application of a relatively small magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 produces movement of the armature 74 and push member 76 toward the valve body 40 . this motion also moves the spool 44 thereby reducing the size of the fluid paths described immediately above . this decreases the flow of engine oil to the cam phasing mechanism 12 which reduces the rate at which the valve timing is being changed . application of a greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 leftward in fig2 into an intermediate position closing the previous path between the second workport 25 and the outlet port 27 , via the spool &# 39 ; s central aperture 48 . the annular spool notch 46 now opens only into the inlet port 26 and both the first and second workports 24 and 25 are closed . this stops movement of the cam phasing mechanism 12 fixing the relationship between the crankshaft and the camshaft on the engine . alternatively , the annular spool notch 46 in the valve body 40 can be configured so that in this intermediate position the first and second workports 24 and 25 both communicate with the inlet port 26 . this applies equal pressure to both the first workport 24 and the second workport 25 . referring still to fig2 , applying a still greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 farther to the left into a position where the first workport 24 communicates with the central aperture 48 through the spool 44 . this opens a fluid path between the first workport 24 and the outlet port 27 . in this position the annular notch 46 of the spool provides a path between the inlet port 26 and only the second workport 25 that leads to the second port 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 . this applies pressurized engine oil to the mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 and drains the oil from the mechanism &# 39 ; s first port 18 to the oil pan , thereby retarding the phase relationship between the cam and crank shafts . the size of the openings between these passages is varied by controlling the magnitude of the electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 to meter the flow of engine oil and thus control the rate at which valve timing changes . the foregoing description was primarily directed to preferred embodiments of the invention . although some attention was given to various alternatives within the scope of the invention , it is anticipated that one skilled in the art will likely realize additional alternatives that are now apparent from disclosure of embodiments of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims and not limited by the above disclosure . | 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 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | 0475ab9646caf6f0e54de2e0458d8fe24f61225b0f7885da1267ab5f6a806674 | 0.003174 | 0.851563 | 0.000572 | 0.585938 | 0.013245 | 0.392578 |
null | referring to fig2 , an electrohydraulic control valve 30 is illustrated inserted into an aperture 32 in a manifold 34 of a conventional variable cam phase adjustment mechanism . the ports 18 and 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 shown in fig1 are connected respectively to two passages 20 and 21 that extend through the manifold 34 and those passages open into the aperture 32 . a supply passage 22 extends between the engine &# 39 ; s oil pump and the manifold aperture 32 , while a return passage 23 at the interior end of the aperture leads to the oil pan ( or tank ) of the engine . the electrohydraulic valve 30 has a tubular valve body 40 with a longitudinal bore 42 and transverse openings which provide ports between the manifold passages and the longitudinal bore . specifically , a first workport 24 connects to the first passage 20 and a second workport 25 communicates with the second passage 21 . an inlet port 26 in the valve body is associated with the supply passage 22 and an outlet port 27 opens into the return passage 23 . a spool 44 is slidably received within the bore 42 of the valve body 40 and has an exterior annular notch 46 which , in selective positions of the spool , provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and one of the two workports 24 and 25 and thus between the associated manifold passages . in a middle , or intermediate , position of the spool travel , the inlet port 26 is closed from both workports 24 and 25 . a central aperture 48 extends between the opposite ends 47 and 49 of the spool 44 . a head 54 projects from the outward end 49 of the valve spool 44 and has an aperture 55 there through . a spring 50 biases the spool 44 away from a nose piece 52 of the valve body 40 . the valve 30 further includes an electromagnetic actuator 56 comprising a solenoid coil 58 in a non - magnetic bobbin 60 , preferably made of plastic molded around the coil to form a solenoid assembly . the solenoid coil 58 is driven by a pulse width modulated ( pwm ) signal having a duty cycle that is varied in a conventional manner to position the spool 44 in the valve body 40 . the pwm signal is applied to the electromagnetic actuator 56 via a connector 57 formed in a lateral projection of the bobbin 60 and connected by wires to the solenoid coil 58 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 further includes two magnetically conductive pole pieces 64 and 66 . the first pole piece 64 has a cylindrical tubular interior section 65 that extends into one end of the bobbin 60 . an o - ring 67 provides a hermetic seal between the first pole piece 64 and the bobbin 60 . the first pole piece 64 has a flange 68 which projects outwardly from the interior section 65 across the outer end of the valve body 40 . the second pole piece 66 has a second tubular section that extending into the opposite end of the bobbin 60 and has an interior end that is spaced from the first pole piece 64 . an annular rib 63 of the bobbin magnetically separates the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the outer end of the second pole piece 66 has an outwardly projecting flange 71 and another o - ring 75 provides a hermetic seal between this flange and the bobbin 60 . a liner tube 62 , preferably of stainless steel , extends through the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 . the liner tube 62 provides a magnetic barrier between the pole pieces as well as acting as a guide for a sliding plunger 73 . an open end of the liner tube 62 faces the valve body 40 and a closed end is adjacent the outwardly projecting flange 71 of the second pole piece 66 . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is enclosed by a metal outer housing 69 that extends around the first and second pole pieces 64 and 66 and the bobbin 60 . the open end of the outer housing 69 , adjacent the second pole piece 66 , is crimped to a disk 72 to close that opening . at the opposite end , the outer housing 69 has an inwardly projecting flange 70 which is crimped into a depression , such as an annular groove 61 , in the exterior surface of the valve body 40 , thereby securing those components together . an o - ring 59 provides a fluid tight seal between a flange on the liner tube 62 and the valve body 40 . thus the closed liner tube 62 provides a sealed inner cavity within the electromagnetic actuator 56 that contains the fluid passing through the valve body 40 . with reference to fig2 and 3 , the plunger 73 of the electromagnetic actuator 56 is slidably located within the liner tube 62 and includes an armature 74 of ferromagnetic material . a region 77 at the outer end of the armature 74 has a larger diameter than the remainder of the armature so that only a relatively small surface area engages the inside diameter of the liner tube 62 and a gap 79 exists between most of the armature and the liner tube . by minimizing this surface area of engagement , resistance to the armature 74 sliding in the liner tube 62 is minimized . however , enlarging that gap 79 increases the magnetic impedance which tends to diminish the magnetic force acting on the armature . in response , the inner end of the armature 74 has a tapered recess 81 , which forms a knife edge 82 around the outer perimeter of that end . the magnetic flux flowing between the armature and the first pole piece 64 is concentrated through the region of the knife edge 82 . concentrating the magnetic flux in this manner , counteracts the adverse effect of the gap 79 on the electromagnetic performance of the actuator 56 . the armature 74 has a longitudinal aperture in which a tubular push member 76 is received . both ends of the armature are “ ring staked ” to the push member 76 . as shown in fig4 , ring staking involves forming indentations of the armature end surfaces at locations 85 which pushes that armature material around the aperture tightly against the push member 76 . referring again to fig2 and 3 , the push member 76 projects outward from the open end of the liner tube 62 and abuts the head 54 of the valve spool 44 . the plunger 73 further includes a rolling bearing 80 mounted on the push member 76 between the armature 74 and the valve spool head 54 . an axial force is applied to the plunger 73 by the magnetic flux at the end of the first pole piece 64 and rolling bearing 80 at this location prevents binding of the armature due to that axial force . the rolling bearing 80 comprises a plastic cage 83 with five longitudinal slots 84 equidistantly spaced around its outer surface . a separate chromium plated sphere 86 is located in each slot 84 . each sphere 86 projects from the respective slot into contact with the liner tube 62 and the push member 76 and is able to roll within the respective slot 84 . other forms of rollable elements , such as cylinders , may be used in place of the spheres 86 . the cage 83 is held in place on the push member 76 by a retaining ring 88 . alternatively the cage 83 and the push member 76 can be fabricated as a single plastic part 90 as shown in fig5 . referring specifically to fig2 , the valve 30 is fabricated by placing the solenoid coil 58 in a mold into which molten plastic for the bobbin 60 is injected to encapsulate the solenoid coil . after that molded assembly has hardened , the first pole piece 64 along with the inner o - ring 67 and the second pole piece 66 with the outer o - ring 75 are placed into the bobbin . the assembly then is inserted into the outer housing 69 . next the disk 72 is positioned in the open end of the outer housing 69 and crimped in place . the liner tube 62 is inserted into the other end of the first pole piece 64 and the plunger 73 is slid into the liner tube 62 , thereby completing assembly of the electromagnetic actuator 56 . the valve components then are assembled into the valve body 40 and the nose piece 52 is pressed into the valve body to provide a spring preload . the electromagnetic actuator 56 is placed on the end of the valve body 40 with o - ring 59 between the valve body 40 and the flange of the liner tube 62 to provide a hydraulic seal . then , the flange 70 is crimped into an annular groove 61 in the valve body 40 securing the components together . references herein to directional relationships and movement , such as upper and lower or up and down , refer to the relationship and movement of the components in the orientation illustrated in the drawings , which may not be the orientation of the components as attached to machinery . when the electrohydraulic valve 30 is not activated by electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 , the spring 50 forces the spool 44 into a position at which the annular notch 46 provides a fluid path between the inlet port 26 and the first workport 24 leading to the first manifold passage 20 . in this de - energized state , the inner end of the spool 44 is positioned to the right which opens a path between the outlet port 27 and the second workport 25 communicating with the second manifold passage 21 . pressurized engine oil now is fed through the first manifold passage 20 to port 18 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 and oil is drained from that mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 through the second manifold passage 21 to the oil pan , thereby advancing the valve timing . from the de - energized state , application of a relatively small magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 produces movement of the armature 74 and push member 76 toward the valve body 40 . this motion also moves the spool 44 thereby reducing the size of the fluid paths described immediately above . this decreases the flow of engine oil to the cam phasing mechanism 12 which reduces the rate at which the valve timing is being changed . application of a greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 leftward in fig2 into an intermediate position closing the previous path between the second workport 25 and the outlet port 27 , via the spool &# 39 ; s central aperture 48 . the annular spool notch 46 now opens only into the inlet port 26 and both the first and second workports 24 and 25 are closed . this stops movement of the cam phasing mechanism 12 fixing the relationship between the crankshaft and the camshaft on the engine . alternatively , the annular spool notch 46 in the valve body 40 can be configured so that in this intermediate position the first and second workports 24 and 25 both communicate with the inlet port 26 . this applies equal pressure to both the first workport 24 and the second workport 25 . referring still to fig2 , applying a still greater magnitude electric current to the solenoid coil 58 eventually moves the spool 44 farther to the left into a position where the first workport 24 communicates with the central aperture 48 through the spool 44 . this opens a fluid path between the first workport 24 and the outlet port 27 . in this position the annular notch 46 of the spool provides a path between the inlet port 26 and only the second workport 25 that leads to the second port 19 of the cam phasing mechanism 12 . this applies pressurized engine oil to the mechanism &# 39 ; s second port 19 and drains the oil from the mechanism &# 39 ; s first port 18 to the oil pan , thereby retarding the phase relationship between the cam and crank shafts . the size of the openings between these passages is varied by controlling the magnitude of the electric current applied to the solenoid coil 58 to meter the flow of engine oil and thus control the rate at which valve timing changes . the foregoing description was primarily directed to preferred embodiments of the invention . although some attention was given to various alternatives within the scope of the invention , it is anticipated that one skilled in the art will likely realize additional alternatives that are now apparent from disclosure of embodiments of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims and not limited by the above disclosure . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Should this patent be classified under 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | 0475ab9646caf6f0e54de2e0458d8fe24f61225b0f7885da1267ab5f6a806674 | 0.002121 | 0.134766 | 0.001457 | 0.026001 | 0.029297 | 0.075684 |
null | the present invention is embodied in a tag attaching machine shown in perspective view in fig1 and identified generally by the number 20 . the tag attaching machine 20 includes a main frame member or base 22 on which is mounted a motor 24 which is coupled through a solenoid actuated clutch mechanism 26 to a main drive gear 28 which in turn is coupled to the tag attaching mechanism at a tag attaching station identified generally with the numeral 30 . the main frame member 22 also supports a pneumatic compressor 32 which provides a source of air , under slight pressure , for actuating various pneumatically controlled mechanisms as will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow . the tag attaching machine 20 also includes a transport mechanism , indicated generally at 34 for moving individual tags from a tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 . the tag transport mechanism 34 , the clutch and gear assembly 26 , 28 , and the mechanism at the tag attaching station 30 are all sequenced and controlled by a solid state microprocessor circuit indicated generally at 38 . for control of the tag attaching machine , several externally accessible switches are provided . disposed on a convenient control panel 40 above the transport assembly 34 is an on / off switch 42 controlling the supply of power to the overall machine . next to the on / off switch 42 is a pushbutton switch 44 which , as will be further described hereinbelow , causes the feed of a single tag from the tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 without initiating a tag attaching operation at the tag attaching station . a further two - position switch 46 is disposed next to pushbutton switch 44 and controls the programming of microprocessor 38 between a manual mode and an automatic mode . in the manual mode , the tag attaching machine 20 may be caused to feed a single tag and attach the same to a garment or article upon depression of a main operator control switch 48 . the actuation of switch 48 by the operator causes only a single operation to be performed when switch 46 is in the manual position . when the switch 46 is moved to its automatic position , the machine will repetitively and periodically continue to sequence through successive tag attaching operations thereby permitting the operator to automatically attach tags to garments or articles without having to separately actuate command switch 48 for each sequence . referring to fig2 and 4 , the tag feed mechanism 34 includes a main mounting member 50 attached to the main frame 22 . journaled for rotation about an upstanding pin 52 on member 50 is a transport actuating lever 70 . as can be appreciated from fig4 transport lever 70 is journaled at an intermediate point for rotation in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions about the axis of pin 52 . a first end 72 of arm 70 is pivotally attached to a piston 90 by an intermediate connecting element 74 . piston 90 is disposed within a conforming cylinder 80 which is connected by pneumatic lines to a solenoid operated pneumatic valve 82 via an extending outlet 84 and a retracting outlet 86 connected respectively at opposite ends of the cylinder 80 as shown . as will become clear below , the solenoid operated valve 82 , when at rest , supplies compressed air from compressor 32 through retracting outlet 86 to the end of cylinder 80 so as to cause the piston 90 to retract to the position shown in fig2 and 4 . the opposite end 76 of lever arm 70 is bifurcated to receive an upright post 78 carried upon a tuning fork - like tag push member 92 . the tag pusher member 92 has two tines 94 each provided at their distal ends with an offset shoulder 96 having a slightly downwardly inclined bottom surface 98 . pusher member 92 is disposed atop plate 50 between a pair of spaced , elongated channel guides 31 . the top surface of the channel guide members 31 is coplaner with the top surface of the tines 94 of pusher member 92 as can best be seen in the sectional view of fig7 . these members thus form a generally flat transport plate or surface so as to enable tags to be fed from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 whenever the pusher member 92 is rectilinearly shifted from the left to the right as visualized in fig4 under the driving force of the counter clockwise rotating lever arm 70 . turning to fig2 and 3 , a generally u - shaped frame member 33 is secured to the top of support plate 50 . rotatably disposed across frame 33 is a threaded rod 35 having a crank handle 37 attached at one end . an adjustable support block 39 is attached to a threaded nut 41 carried on the opposite end of rod 35 , as illustrated . the upper edge of block 39 is adapted to be received within a shallow groove or channel 43 in the lower surface of the cross portion of frame 33 so as to preclude the block 39 from rotation as crank handle 37 is turned . in this manner , turning of the crank handle causes linear transposition of the block 39 as can be appreciated from a comparison of fig2 and 3 . carried upon block 39 is a sensor , such as a microswitch 120 having an actuating roller 45 . the microswitch 120 is mounted on block 39 such that the roller 45 is in the path of rotary movement of lever arm 70 . as will be described in more detail herein below , the microswitch is actuated each time the lever arm 70 moves in a counter clockwise direction , as visualized in fig4 . thus , as the lever arm rotates from the rest position shown in fig2 through 4 to a tag feed position as shown in phantom lines in fig4 the microswitch will be actuated . mounted on the cross member of frame 33 is an upright pin or arm 47 . similarly , a pair of spaced upright arms 49 and 51 are attached to moveable block 39 . pin 47 , which is fixed with respect to frame 33 , cooperates with arms 49 and 51 to form a tag width gauge . as can be appreciated from fig2 and 3 , the tag width gauge may be easily used by merely positioning a single tag such that a prepunched hole therein is placed over pin 47 . with the tag thus in position , crank 37 is rotated to move arm 49 until it just engages the edge of the tag as shown in fig3 . since the movement of arm 49 on block 39 by turning crank 37 also causes a like movement of microswitch 120 , it can be appreciated that the end point of travel of lever 70 , which is determined by the microswitch 120 , will be adjusted each time as the tag width is measured . by coordinating the tag width gauge measurement with the positioning of the microswitch 120 on block 39 and with the distance between the tag supply stack 37 and the tag attaching station 30 , the tag pusher member 92 can be caused to move precisely the amount required to shift a tag from the stacked array to the tag attaching station by merely taking a representative tag and placing it in the width measurement gauge and adjusting crank 37 . since the tag width may vary over a considerable extent , it may be necessary in certain instances to remove tag push member 92 and replace the same with one having shorter tines 94 . when the substitute push member is thus installed , the second gauge arm 51 carried by moveable block 39 may be used in conjunction with fixed arm 47 to measure tag width and set the microswitch 120 accordingly . it can be appreciated from the above that the tag attaching machine according to the present invention is quickly and precisely adaptable to use with tags of widely varying widths . moreover , the adjustment is extremely simple and merely requires that the operator place the tag between the appropriate gauge members 47 and 49 or 47 and 51 and then merely rotate the crank 37 to conform to the tag dimension . this action automatically transpositions the microswitch 120 so as to establish the end point of travel of lever arm 70 whereupon the push member 92 will move the tag the precise distance necessary to bring the same into perfect alignment at the tag attaching station 30 . the apparatus according to the present invention further includes a tag thickness gauge . refering again to fig2 and 3 , the tag supply stack 36 is adapted to be placed against a retaining member 53 which is mounted such that its lower edge is spaced from the upper surface of the support plate formed by guides 31 and tines 94 of push member 92 so as to permit a tag of maximum intended thickness to pass therebetween . at the top of retaining member 53 , a perpendicular leg 55 extends toward the tag attaching station such that the retaining member 53 and attached leg 55 have a generally l - shaped section . a shutter 57 is mounted against the retaining member 53 by suitable means such as a screw 59 which extends through a slot in member 53 . a perpendicularly disposed leg 61 extends from the top edge of shutter 57 such that the shutter also has a generally l - shaped section . the dimensions of shutter 57 are such that the spacing between leg members 55 and 61 is precisely the same as the opening at the bottom of the shutter above the tag supporting plate formed by tines 94 and support members 31 . by placing a selected tag between members 55 and 61 , and , after loosening screw 59 , adjusting the shutter 57 accordingly , the shutter opening will be quickly and precisely set to permit only one tag to be withdrawn from the tag supply 36 and shifted to the tag attaching station 30 . on the opposite side of the tag supply stack 36 from retaining member 53 is a second retaining member 63 . this member may be moved to the left and to the right so as to accommodate tags of different widths and maintain the same in a neat stack . a weight 65 is attached , preferably with some degree of freedom to the bottom end of a rod 67 which is loosely held in an elongated slot 69 in a holding member 71 . a handle 73 is attached to the top of rod 67 so that the rod and weight may be picked up and moved and then replaced atop a stack of tags 36 to maintain the same in proper alignment . the tag supply 36 is also provided with a tag retention member 75 in the form of a generally flat strip of material having its top end bent over to form a finger grip portion 77 and having an ear 79 attached to wall member 63 by any suitable means such as screw 81 . member 75 may be positioned to accommodate tags of varying depths and effectively prevents the tag supply from inadvertent dislodgment . a metal tube 83 has an opening 85 shaped to form a nozzle . the tube 83 is held in position by an appropriate block 87 and is adapted to be connected to compressor 32 so as to feed a stream of air against the needle 132 . the stream of air eminating from nozzle 85 clears the severed loose ends of the thread after each tag attaching sequence and blows the remaining tag end to the right , as visualized in fig2 and 3 , so as to place the thread end in the proper position for pick up during the next tag attaching sequence . referring to fig8 and 10 , fig8 shows the positioning of the various elements at or near the tag attaching station 30 just prior to the first tag attaching operation . at this time , a single tag has been moved from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 and is sitting between the upper surface of the support plate and a guard plate 89 . an article to which a tag is to be attached is positioned over the presser block 128 , as shown . the operator then commences the tag attaching sequence by engaging switch 48 ( fig1 ). this begins the entire sequence and initially causes the needle 132 to move down . the needle will continue to travel down through the hole in the tag and through article until it reaches the lowest position of travel . at this point , a pick up mechanism 91 is operated to grasp the end of the thread at the lower end of the needle under the article . at this same time , the presser foot 116 will have pressed the article against presser block 128 to hold it securely in place . as the needle 132 begins to move back in the upward direction , the pick up mechanism will also move the end of the thread up above the guard plate 89 as shown in fig9 . depending upon the duration of the down position of the presser foot 116 , the length of the loop thus formed , as depicted in fig9 will vary . as will be described more fully herein below , the presser foot down duration is controlled by the microprocessor 38 , and a timing network included therein may be adjusted to select any desired loop diameter . at the conclusion of the tag attaching sequence , the article is pulled from the tag attaching station whereupon the knotting mechanism ( not shown ) completes its function and the next article may be then moved into position . referring now to fig1 the operation of the present invention through the control of microprocessor circuitry 38 will be explained in detail . the microprocessor circuitry 38 is connected to a source of power designated generally as power supply 100 . the power derived from supply 100 is utilized by the microprocessor to selectively operate the other elements of the invention . control of the microprocessor circuitry 38 is achieved through a plurality of switches connected to its inputs . as discussed above , a control panel 40 includes a two - position switch 42 which turns the microprocessor on and off , a push button switch 44 to cause movement of the transport mechanism without actual attachment of the tag , and a two - position switch 46 to operate the microprocessor in either mutual or automatic modes . in the manual mode , a first operation of switch 46 followed by operation of a command switch 48 causes movement and attachment of a single tag , whereas in automatic mode successive operations of the tag attaching mechanism result from a single operation of the command switch 48 . the motor 24 receives power from the microprocessor via line 102 . the gear 28 is engaged to be driven by the motor 24 upon operation of a clutch 26 contolled by the microprocessor via line 104 . a limit switch 29 detects the position of gear 28 and directs this information to the microprocessor via line 106 . the transport mechanism 34 operated via cylinder 80 is controlled through a solenoid valve 82 connected to the microprocessor via line 108 , to the cylinder 80 by outlets 84 and 86 to control respectively extending and retracting piston 90 , and to a pneumatic compressor 32 . power to the pneumatic compressor 32 is controlled by the microprocessor via line 112 . a microswitch 120 which detects the position of the tag feeder arm 70 transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . the microprocessor also controls a presser foot 116 by means of a solenoid valve 118 connected to line 121 , to extending outlet 122 and retracting outlet 124 of air cylinder 126 , and to the pneumatic compressor 32 . in operation , the presser foot 116 is extended to retain the material against presser block 128 directly below the attaching station 30 during movement of the attaching mechanism 130 including needle 132 and thread 134 . to perform a single tag attaching operation , switch 42 is first moved to its &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position , thereby causing power to be applied to the motor 24 and the pneumatic compressor 32 . switch 46 is placed in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position and switch 44 is operated once . in response , microprocessor circuitry 38 institutes movement of the transport mechanism 34 by operating the solenoid valve 82 via line 108 thereby directing air from the pneumatic compressor 32 into extending outlet 84 which causes a tag to be moved from the stack of tags 36 towards the tag attaching station 30 . when the selected tag has been completely moved into place in the tag attaching station 30 , microswitch 120 is engaged by the tag feeder arm 70 and transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . upon receipt of this signal the microprocessor disables solenoid valve 82 which causes air from the compressor 32 to be directed to retracting outlet 86 so that the piston 90 retracts into the cylinder 80 and the transport mechanism 34 moves back to its initial position . by operating switch 44 once , the resulting movement of tag mechanism 34 causes a selected tag to be moved to the tag attaching station 30 . at this time , the alignment of the tag can be verified and any needed changes in the tag gauges can be made . if attachment of the selected tag to the garment is desired , operation is continued by placing a garment on presser block 128 and pressing the command switch 48 one time . in response , the microprocessor simultaneously institutes movement of the presser foot 116 and the attaching mechanism 130 . a signal on line 120 causes the solenoid valve 118 to direct air from the compressor 32 to the extending outlet 122 of the presser foot cylinder 126 , thereby driving the presser foot 116 against the presser block 128 to hold the garment in place . after a predetermined albeit adjustable time , solenoid valve 118 is switched off thereby directing air into retracting outlet 124 so the presser foot 116 lifts off of presser block 128 . meanwhile , the attaching mechanism 130 is activated by controlling the clutch 26 so that cam gear 28 engages the motor 24 . the needle 132 and thread 134 of the attaching mechanism pass through the selected tag and garment in the manner described hereinabove . as the attaching mechanism draws the thread around the presser foot 116 a loop is formed and subsequently tied by further operation of the attaching mechanism . thus , the length of the resulting loop is dependent upon the distance between the actuating mechanism 130 and the presser foot at the moment the thread is tied . therefore , the length of time the presser foot 116 is extended is directly related to the length of the resulting loop : if the presser foot is retracted early , the distance is small when the thread is tied whereas keeping the presser foot down causes a greater distance and hence a longer loop at the moment of tying . the length of time the presser foot is extended is controlled by an adjustable delay circuit 136 located in the microprocessor . continued movement of the attaching mechanism 130 via the gear 28 and the motor 24 results in completed attachment of the selected tag by means of needle 122 containing thread 124 . at the time when the selected tag has been properly attached , position - indicating means 138 located on gear 28 , such as a notch 138 , causes operation of the limit switch 29 . this information is received by the microprocessor on line 106 which , in response thereto , directs operation of the clutch 26 so as to disengage the gear 28 from the motor 24 . there is , however , sufficient momentum left in gear 28 to cause continued movement of the position - indicating notch 138 of the gear past the limit switch 29 so that the limit switch 29 is no longer engaged . at this point , the tag attaching procudure has completed one full cycle and the garment with tag can be removed thereby simultaneously cutting the tied thread free . the signal generated by engagement of the limit switch 29 is used for a second function by the microprocessor , however , to prepare for another tag - attaching operation . in addition to disengaging the clutch 26 , the microprocessor in response to operation of the limit switch causes the transport mechanism 34 to deposit another tag in the attaching station 30 per the steps set forth herein above . the last step of each attaching cycle , therefore , is to deposit another tag in the attaching station so as to be ready for a second operation of the command switch 48 . an adjustable delay circuitry 140 is included in the microprocessor connected to line 108 leading to the transport mechanism solenoid valve 82 to vary the interval between completion of tag attachment by attaching means 130 and the delivery of another tag in the manner described immediately above . this allows an operator sufficient time to remove the previous garment and tag from the attaching station 30 and presser block 128 so as to avoid jamming the device by delivering a new tag before removal is completed . the interval is adjustable to provide for varying degrees of skill among operators of the machine . successive operations of the command switch 48 while switch 46 is in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; setting causes the foregoing sequences to be repeated each time in response thereto . if the switch 46 is moved to &# 34 ; automatic &# 34 ; position and the command switch 48 is then operated , the foregoing events occur as described above with the additional step that operation of the limit switch 29 by gear 28 also causes the microprocessor to initiate another cycle of the attaching means , presser foot and transport mechanism upon completion of the prior cycle . in this manner , successive attachments of the tags occur automatically in response to a single operation of the command switch 48 , until switch 46 is moved back to &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position thereby completing the current cycle and then stopping . an adjustable delay circuit 142 included in the microprocessor may be used to control the interval of time between successive cycles of tag attaching when operating in the automatic mode . it may be appreciated that many different devices may be used to implement the circuitry and control mechanisms described hereinabove . for example , the clutch 26 engaging gear 28 may be a magnetic - type clutch , a pneumatic or hydraulic clutch , or a fully electronic braking system . similarly , the devices used to operate the transport mechanism 34 and the presser foot 116 may comprise pneumatic devices as discussed above or , alternately , bi - directional electric motors , hydraulic devices or any other suitable mechanisms . the microprocessor circuitry 38 may be designed in a variety of ways so as to accomplish the particular operating functions discussed hereinabove . a preferred embodiment of the microprocessor is illustrated in fig1 , wherein the reference characters correspond to those used in fig1 . the preferred embodiment comprises a known dc power supply 200 connected through the on / off switch 42 to the power source 100 to develop an internal voltage and ground . a reset pulse icl is developed by circuitry 202 connected to the power supply 200 . the pulse icl is characterized by the generation of a slowly increasing voltage waveform upon turning switch 42 on and is used to effect automatic reset and initialization of the other microprocessor circuitry . the command switch is connected to the input of a nand gate 204 having an output connected to an input of and gate 206 . the output of and gate 206 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 208 and to the set input of a latch 210 comprising nand gates . the output of the shaping circuit 208 is also connected to the monostable multivibrator 136 adjustable via resistor 210 . the pulse produced by the multivibrator 136 is connected to a driving circuit 212 for a relay 214 controlling the presser foot solenoid valve 118 . the output of the latch 210 is connected to another driving circuit 216 for a relay 218 controlling the cam gear clutch 26 . the input of the shaping circuit is connected to the limit switch 29 of the cam gear 28 . one reset input of the latch 210 is connected to master reset icl , and a second to the input of the monostable multivibrator 140 adjustable via resistor 222 . the output of multivibrator 140 is connected to a positive waveform pulse shaping circuit 224 , having an output connected to a set input of latch 226 . the latch 226 is connected to a driving circuit 228 for control of the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 through triac 230 . the microswitch 120 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 232 which has an output connected to the reset inputs of latch 226 and latch 234 . another reset input of latch 234 is connected to master reset icl , a set input to shaping circuit 208 , and the inverted output of the latch 234 to an input of nand gate 204 and nand gate 236 . this latter gate has another input connected to switch 44 and its output connected to the latch 226 . the output of shaping circuit 224 is also connected to a monostable multivibrator 142 adjustable via resistor 238 . the output of the multivibrator is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 240 , having an output connected to the reset input of a latch 242 and an inverted output connected to a nand gate 244 . the switch 46 is connected to the set input of latch 242 , the output of the latch is connected to the other input of nand gate 244 , having its output connected to the input of and gate 206 . the operation of the circuit of fig1 will now be described to illustrate the sequence of operations occuring during attachment of a tag . as discussed above , the first step is operating switch 44 which causes latch 226 to be set and the feeder arm solenold valve 82 to be operated via driving circuit 228 and triac 230 . the feeder mechanism advances a selected tag towards the attaching station until it is in place and microswitch 120 is engaged , resulting in resetting latch 226 and turning off solenoid valve 82 thereby causing the feeder mechanism to return . a tag is now properly in place in the attaching station . the next step is to operate command switch 48 which simultaneously turns on the presser foot solenoid valve 118 via shaping circuit 208 , multivibrator 136 , driving circuit 212 and relay 214 , and turning on the cam gear clutch 29 via latch 210 , driving circuit 216 and relay 218 . thus , the presser foot engages the garment and the attaching mechanism begins operation meanwhile , latch 234 has been set , thereby temporarily blocking via gate 204 any further operation from pressing command switch 48 . the duration of operation of the presser foot solenoid valve 118 is controlled by multivibrator 136 . as discussed above , this has a direct effect upon the length of thread loop attaching the selected tag to the garment . when the multivibrator 136 times out , the presser foot is released . since the cam gear solenoid 26 is still being operated , the attaching mechanism completes its cycle of operation thereby attaching the tag . when the cycle is completed and limit switch 29 is momentarily engaged , the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 is again operated via the chain comprising the shaping circuit 220 , multivibrator 140 , shaping circuit 224 , driving circuit 228 and relay 230 . the feeder mechanism operates until a tag is deposited in the attaching station , microswitch 120 is engaged and the feeder mechanism is returned as described hereinabove . the latch 234 is also reset by engagement of the microswitch 120 so the system is prepared for another attaching cycle . in the above - described sequence , the multivibrator 140 is adjusted to delay the interval between completion of the attaching mechanism and a new operation of the feeder mechanism . if manual operation has been selected , the above sequence constitutes a finished cycle since gate 206 is blocked until another pulse is received from the command switch . if automatic operation is selected by engaging switch 46 and setting latch 242 , however , the pulse causing operation of the feeder mechanism as a result of triggering of the limit switch 29 also causes multivibrator 142 to produce a pulse which is used to repeat the entire attaching cycle via shaping circuit 240 , gates 244 and 206 . the multivibrator 142 is adjustable to control the interval between successive attaching cycles . thus , successive operations of the command switch 48 are not needed to initiate an attaching cycle when the automatic mode has been selected . disengaging switch 46 causes gate 206 to be blocked again , thereby switching to manual operation and halting the operation sequence at the conclusion of the last attaching cycle . it may be appreciated from the foregoing that many other circuit designs can be incorporated in the microprocessor to produce the desired functions and the disclosed embodiment is intended to be illustrative of just one possible design . for example , the circuitry can be replaced or altered to include transistors or operational amplifiers . alternately , the microprocessor may be incorporated in a single integrated circuit of an appropriate design to produce the desired operation . inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations , modifications and changes in detail , it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . | Is 'Textiles; Paper' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is 'Human Necessities' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 9d8123359446011bcbc860702f05aebea97704165a773239c7d2e84d11de9f01 | 0.002808 | 0.015442 | 0.000504 | 0.001068 | 0.019409 | 0.009705 |
null | the present invention is embodied in a tag attaching machine shown in perspective view in fig1 and identified generally by the number 20 . the tag attaching machine 20 includes a main frame member or base 22 on which is mounted a motor 24 which is coupled through a solenoid actuated clutch mechanism 26 to a main drive gear 28 which in turn is coupled to the tag attaching mechanism at a tag attaching station identified generally with the numeral 30 . the main frame member 22 also supports a pneumatic compressor 32 which provides a source of air , under slight pressure , for actuating various pneumatically controlled mechanisms as will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow . the tag attaching machine 20 also includes a transport mechanism , indicated generally at 34 for moving individual tags from a tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 . the tag transport mechanism 34 , the clutch and gear assembly 26 , 28 , and the mechanism at the tag attaching station 30 are all sequenced and controlled by a solid state microprocessor circuit indicated generally at 38 . for control of the tag attaching machine , several externally accessible switches are provided . disposed on a convenient control panel 40 above the transport assembly 34 is an on / off switch 42 controlling the supply of power to the overall machine . next to the on / off switch 42 is a pushbutton switch 44 which , as will be further described hereinbelow , causes the feed of a single tag from the tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 without initiating a tag attaching operation at the tag attaching station . a further two - position switch 46 is disposed next to pushbutton switch 44 and controls the programming of microprocessor 38 between a manual mode and an automatic mode . in the manual mode , the tag attaching machine 20 may be caused to feed a single tag and attach the same to a garment or article upon depression of a main operator control switch 48 . the actuation of switch 48 by the operator causes only a single operation to be performed when switch 46 is in the manual position . when the switch 46 is moved to its automatic position , the machine will repetitively and periodically continue to sequence through successive tag attaching operations thereby permitting the operator to automatically attach tags to garments or articles without having to separately actuate command switch 48 for each sequence . referring to fig2 and 4 , the tag feed mechanism 34 includes a main mounting member 50 attached to the main frame 22 . journaled for rotation about an upstanding pin 52 on member 50 is a transport actuating lever 70 . as can be appreciated from fig4 transport lever 70 is journaled at an intermediate point for rotation in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions about the axis of pin 52 . a first end 72 of arm 70 is pivotally attached to a piston 90 by an intermediate connecting element 74 . piston 90 is disposed within a conforming cylinder 80 which is connected by pneumatic lines to a solenoid operated pneumatic valve 82 via an extending outlet 84 and a retracting outlet 86 connected respectively at opposite ends of the cylinder 80 as shown . as will become clear below , the solenoid operated valve 82 , when at rest , supplies compressed air from compressor 32 through retracting outlet 86 to the end of cylinder 80 so as to cause the piston 90 to retract to the position shown in fig2 and 4 . the opposite end 76 of lever arm 70 is bifurcated to receive an upright post 78 carried upon a tuning fork - like tag push member 92 . the tag pusher member 92 has two tines 94 each provided at their distal ends with an offset shoulder 96 having a slightly downwardly inclined bottom surface 98 . pusher member 92 is disposed atop plate 50 between a pair of spaced , elongated channel guides 31 . the top surface of the channel guide members 31 is coplaner with the top surface of the tines 94 of pusher member 92 as can best be seen in the sectional view of fig7 . these members thus form a generally flat transport plate or surface so as to enable tags to be fed from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 whenever the pusher member 92 is rectilinearly shifted from the left to the right as visualized in fig4 under the driving force of the counter clockwise rotating lever arm 70 . turning to fig2 and 3 , a generally u - shaped frame member 33 is secured to the top of support plate 50 . rotatably disposed across frame 33 is a threaded rod 35 having a crank handle 37 attached at one end . an adjustable support block 39 is attached to a threaded nut 41 carried on the opposite end of rod 35 , as illustrated . the upper edge of block 39 is adapted to be received within a shallow groove or channel 43 in the lower surface of the cross portion of frame 33 so as to preclude the block 39 from rotation as crank handle 37 is turned . in this manner , turning of the crank handle causes linear transposition of the block 39 as can be appreciated from a comparison of fig2 and 3 . carried upon block 39 is a sensor , such as a microswitch 120 having an actuating roller 45 . the microswitch 120 is mounted on block 39 such that the roller 45 is in the path of rotary movement of lever arm 70 . as will be described in more detail herein below , the microswitch is actuated each time the lever arm 70 moves in a counter clockwise direction , as visualized in fig4 . thus , as the lever arm rotates from the rest position shown in fig2 through 4 to a tag feed position as shown in phantom lines in fig4 the microswitch will be actuated . mounted on the cross member of frame 33 is an upright pin or arm 47 . similarly , a pair of spaced upright arms 49 and 51 are attached to moveable block 39 . pin 47 , which is fixed with respect to frame 33 , cooperates with arms 49 and 51 to form a tag width gauge . as can be appreciated from fig2 and 3 , the tag width gauge may be easily used by merely positioning a single tag such that a prepunched hole therein is placed over pin 47 . with the tag thus in position , crank 37 is rotated to move arm 49 until it just engages the edge of the tag as shown in fig3 . since the movement of arm 49 on block 39 by turning crank 37 also causes a like movement of microswitch 120 , it can be appreciated that the end point of travel of lever 70 , which is determined by the microswitch 120 , will be adjusted each time as the tag width is measured . by coordinating the tag width gauge measurement with the positioning of the microswitch 120 on block 39 and with the distance between the tag supply stack 37 and the tag attaching station 30 , the tag pusher member 92 can be caused to move precisely the amount required to shift a tag from the stacked array to the tag attaching station by merely taking a representative tag and placing it in the width measurement gauge and adjusting crank 37 . since the tag width may vary over a considerable extent , it may be necessary in certain instances to remove tag push member 92 and replace the same with one having shorter tines 94 . when the substitute push member is thus installed , the second gauge arm 51 carried by moveable block 39 may be used in conjunction with fixed arm 47 to measure tag width and set the microswitch 120 accordingly . it can be appreciated from the above that the tag attaching machine according to the present invention is quickly and precisely adaptable to use with tags of widely varying widths . moreover , the adjustment is extremely simple and merely requires that the operator place the tag between the appropriate gauge members 47 and 49 or 47 and 51 and then merely rotate the crank 37 to conform to the tag dimension . this action automatically transpositions the microswitch 120 so as to establish the end point of travel of lever arm 70 whereupon the push member 92 will move the tag the precise distance necessary to bring the same into perfect alignment at the tag attaching station 30 . the apparatus according to the present invention further includes a tag thickness gauge . refering again to fig2 and 3 , the tag supply stack 36 is adapted to be placed against a retaining member 53 which is mounted such that its lower edge is spaced from the upper surface of the support plate formed by guides 31 and tines 94 of push member 92 so as to permit a tag of maximum intended thickness to pass therebetween . at the top of retaining member 53 , a perpendicular leg 55 extends toward the tag attaching station such that the retaining member 53 and attached leg 55 have a generally l - shaped section . a shutter 57 is mounted against the retaining member 53 by suitable means such as a screw 59 which extends through a slot in member 53 . a perpendicularly disposed leg 61 extends from the top edge of shutter 57 such that the shutter also has a generally l - shaped section . the dimensions of shutter 57 are such that the spacing between leg members 55 and 61 is precisely the same as the opening at the bottom of the shutter above the tag supporting plate formed by tines 94 and support members 31 . by placing a selected tag between members 55 and 61 , and , after loosening screw 59 , adjusting the shutter 57 accordingly , the shutter opening will be quickly and precisely set to permit only one tag to be withdrawn from the tag supply 36 and shifted to the tag attaching station 30 . on the opposite side of the tag supply stack 36 from retaining member 53 is a second retaining member 63 . this member may be moved to the left and to the right so as to accommodate tags of different widths and maintain the same in a neat stack . a weight 65 is attached , preferably with some degree of freedom to the bottom end of a rod 67 which is loosely held in an elongated slot 69 in a holding member 71 . a handle 73 is attached to the top of rod 67 so that the rod and weight may be picked up and moved and then replaced atop a stack of tags 36 to maintain the same in proper alignment . the tag supply 36 is also provided with a tag retention member 75 in the form of a generally flat strip of material having its top end bent over to form a finger grip portion 77 and having an ear 79 attached to wall member 63 by any suitable means such as screw 81 . member 75 may be positioned to accommodate tags of varying depths and effectively prevents the tag supply from inadvertent dislodgment . a metal tube 83 has an opening 85 shaped to form a nozzle . the tube 83 is held in position by an appropriate block 87 and is adapted to be connected to compressor 32 so as to feed a stream of air against the needle 132 . the stream of air eminating from nozzle 85 clears the severed loose ends of the thread after each tag attaching sequence and blows the remaining tag end to the right , as visualized in fig2 and 3 , so as to place the thread end in the proper position for pick up during the next tag attaching sequence . referring to fig8 and 10 , fig8 shows the positioning of the various elements at or near the tag attaching station 30 just prior to the first tag attaching operation . at this time , a single tag has been moved from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 and is sitting between the upper surface of the support plate and a guard plate 89 . an article to which a tag is to be attached is positioned over the presser block 128 , as shown . the operator then commences the tag attaching sequence by engaging switch 48 ( fig1 ). this begins the entire sequence and initially causes the needle 132 to move down . the needle will continue to travel down through the hole in the tag and through article until it reaches the lowest position of travel . at this point , a pick up mechanism 91 is operated to grasp the end of the thread at the lower end of the needle under the article . at this same time , the presser foot 116 will have pressed the article against presser block 128 to hold it securely in place . as the needle 132 begins to move back in the upward direction , the pick up mechanism will also move the end of the thread up above the guard plate 89 as shown in fig9 . depending upon the duration of the down position of the presser foot 116 , the length of the loop thus formed , as depicted in fig9 will vary . as will be described more fully herein below , the presser foot down duration is controlled by the microprocessor 38 , and a timing network included therein may be adjusted to select any desired loop diameter . at the conclusion of the tag attaching sequence , the article is pulled from the tag attaching station whereupon the knotting mechanism ( not shown ) completes its function and the next article may be then moved into position . referring now to fig1 the operation of the present invention through the control of microprocessor circuitry 38 will be explained in detail . the microprocessor circuitry 38 is connected to a source of power designated generally as power supply 100 . the power derived from supply 100 is utilized by the microprocessor to selectively operate the other elements of the invention . control of the microprocessor circuitry 38 is achieved through a plurality of switches connected to its inputs . as discussed above , a control panel 40 includes a two - position switch 42 which turns the microprocessor on and off , a push button switch 44 to cause movement of the transport mechanism without actual attachment of the tag , and a two - position switch 46 to operate the microprocessor in either mutual or automatic modes . in the manual mode , a first operation of switch 46 followed by operation of a command switch 48 causes movement and attachment of a single tag , whereas in automatic mode successive operations of the tag attaching mechanism result from a single operation of the command switch 48 . the motor 24 receives power from the microprocessor via line 102 . the gear 28 is engaged to be driven by the motor 24 upon operation of a clutch 26 contolled by the microprocessor via line 104 . a limit switch 29 detects the position of gear 28 and directs this information to the microprocessor via line 106 . the transport mechanism 34 operated via cylinder 80 is controlled through a solenoid valve 82 connected to the microprocessor via line 108 , to the cylinder 80 by outlets 84 and 86 to control respectively extending and retracting piston 90 , and to a pneumatic compressor 32 . power to the pneumatic compressor 32 is controlled by the microprocessor via line 112 . a microswitch 120 which detects the position of the tag feeder arm 70 transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . the microprocessor also controls a presser foot 116 by means of a solenoid valve 118 connected to line 121 , to extending outlet 122 and retracting outlet 124 of air cylinder 126 , and to the pneumatic compressor 32 . in operation , the presser foot 116 is extended to retain the material against presser block 128 directly below the attaching station 30 during movement of the attaching mechanism 130 including needle 132 and thread 134 . to perform a single tag attaching operation , switch 42 is first moved to its &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position , thereby causing power to be applied to the motor 24 and the pneumatic compressor 32 . switch 46 is placed in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position and switch 44 is operated once . in response , microprocessor circuitry 38 institutes movement of the transport mechanism 34 by operating the solenoid valve 82 via line 108 thereby directing air from the pneumatic compressor 32 into extending outlet 84 which causes a tag to be moved from the stack of tags 36 towards the tag attaching station 30 . when the selected tag has been completely moved into place in the tag attaching station 30 , microswitch 120 is engaged by the tag feeder arm 70 and transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . upon receipt of this signal the microprocessor disables solenoid valve 82 which causes air from the compressor 32 to be directed to retracting outlet 86 so that the piston 90 retracts into the cylinder 80 and the transport mechanism 34 moves back to its initial position . by operating switch 44 once , the resulting movement of tag mechanism 34 causes a selected tag to be moved to the tag attaching station 30 . at this time , the alignment of the tag can be verified and any needed changes in the tag gauges can be made . if attachment of the selected tag to the garment is desired , operation is continued by placing a garment on presser block 128 and pressing the command switch 48 one time . in response , the microprocessor simultaneously institutes movement of the presser foot 116 and the attaching mechanism 130 . a signal on line 120 causes the solenoid valve 118 to direct air from the compressor 32 to the extending outlet 122 of the presser foot cylinder 126 , thereby driving the presser foot 116 against the presser block 128 to hold the garment in place . after a predetermined albeit adjustable time , solenoid valve 118 is switched off thereby directing air into retracting outlet 124 so the presser foot 116 lifts off of presser block 128 . meanwhile , the attaching mechanism 130 is activated by controlling the clutch 26 so that cam gear 28 engages the motor 24 . the needle 132 and thread 134 of the attaching mechanism pass through the selected tag and garment in the manner described hereinabove . as the attaching mechanism draws the thread around the presser foot 116 a loop is formed and subsequently tied by further operation of the attaching mechanism . thus , the length of the resulting loop is dependent upon the distance between the actuating mechanism 130 and the presser foot at the moment the thread is tied . therefore , the length of time the presser foot 116 is extended is directly related to the length of the resulting loop : if the presser foot is retracted early , the distance is small when the thread is tied whereas keeping the presser foot down causes a greater distance and hence a longer loop at the moment of tying . the length of time the presser foot is extended is controlled by an adjustable delay circuit 136 located in the microprocessor . continued movement of the attaching mechanism 130 via the gear 28 and the motor 24 results in completed attachment of the selected tag by means of needle 122 containing thread 124 . at the time when the selected tag has been properly attached , position - indicating means 138 located on gear 28 , such as a notch 138 , causes operation of the limit switch 29 . this information is received by the microprocessor on line 106 which , in response thereto , directs operation of the clutch 26 so as to disengage the gear 28 from the motor 24 . there is , however , sufficient momentum left in gear 28 to cause continued movement of the position - indicating notch 138 of the gear past the limit switch 29 so that the limit switch 29 is no longer engaged . at this point , the tag attaching procudure has completed one full cycle and the garment with tag can be removed thereby simultaneously cutting the tied thread free . the signal generated by engagement of the limit switch 29 is used for a second function by the microprocessor , however , to prepare for another tag - attaching operation . in addition to disengaging the clutch 26 , the microprocessor in response to operation of the limit switch causes the transport mechanism 34 to deposit another tag in the attaching station 30 per the steps set forth herein above . the last step of each attaching cycle , therefore , is to deposit another tag in the attaching station so as to be ready for a second operation of the command switch 48 . an adjustable delay circuitry 140 is included in the microprocessor connected to line 108 leading to the transport mechanism solenoid valve 82 to vary the interval between completion of tag attachment by attaching means 130 and the delivery of another tag in the manner described immediately above . this allows an operator sufficient time to remove the previous garment and tag from the attaching station 30 and presser block 128 so as to avoid jamming the device by delivering a new tag before removal is completed . the interval is adjustable to provide for varying degrees of skill among operators of the machine . successive operations of the command switch 48 while switch 46 is in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; setting causes the foregoing sequences to be repeated each time in response thereto . if the switch 46 is moved to &# 34 ; automatic &# 34 ; position and the command switch 48 is then operated , the foregoing events occur as described above with the additional step that operation of the limit switch 29 by gear 28 also causes the microprocessor to initiate another cycle of the attaching means , presser foot and transport mechanism upon completion of the prior cycle . in this manner , successive attachments of the tags occur automatically in response to a single operation of the command switch 48 , until switch 46 is moved back to &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position thereby completing the current cycle and then stopping . an adjustable delay circuit 142 included in the microprocessor may be used to control the interval of time between successive cycles of tag attaching when operating in the automatic mode . it may be appreciated that many different devices may be used to implement the circuitry and control mechanisms described hereinabove . for example , the clutch 26 engaging gear 28 may be a magnetic - type clutch , a pneumatic or hydraulic clutch , or a fully electronic braking system . similarly , the devices used to operate the transport mechanism 34 and the presser foot 116 may comprise pneumatic devices as discussed above or , alternately , bi - directional electric motors , hydraulic devices or any other suitable mechanisms . the microprocessor circuitry 38 may be designed in a variety of ways so as to accomplish the particular operating functions discussed hereinabove . a preferred embodiment of the microprocessor is illustrated in fig1 , wherein the reference characters correspond to those used in fig1 . the preferred embodiment comprises a known dc power supply 200 connected through the on / off switch 42 to the power source 100 to develop an internal voltage and ground . a reset pulse icl is developed by circuitry 202 connected to the power supply 200 . the pulse icl is characterized by the generation of a slowly increasing voltage waveform upon turning switch 42 on and is used to effect automatic reset and initialization of the other microprocessor circuitry . the command switch is connected to the input of a nand gate 204 having an output connected to an input of and gate 206 . the output of and gate 206 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 208 and to the set input of a latch 210 comprising nand gates . the output of the shaping circuit 208 is also connected to the monostable multivibrator 136 adjustable via resistor 210 . the pulse produced by the multivibrator 136 is connected to a driving circuit 212 for a relay 214 controlling the presser foot solenoid valve 118 . the output of the latch 210 is connected to another driving circuit 216 for a relay 218 controlling the cam gear clutch 26 . the input of the shaping circuit is connected to the limit switch 29 of the cam gear 28 . one reset input of the latch 210 is connected to master reset icl , and a second to the input of the monostable multivibrator 140 adjustable via resistor 222 . the output of multivibrator 140 is connected to a positive waveform pulse shaping circuit 224 , having an output connected to a set input of latch 226 . the latch 226 is connected to a driving circuit 228 for control of the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 through triac 230 . the microswitch 120 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 232 which has an output connected to the reset inputs of latch 226 and latch 234 . another reset input of latch 234 is connected to master reset icl , a set input to shaping circuit 208 , and the inverted output of the latch 234 to an input of nand gate 204 and nand gate 236 . this latter gate has another input connected to switch 44 and its output connected to the latch 226 . the output of shaping circuit 224 is also connected to a monostable multivibrator 142 adjustable via resistor 238 . the output of the multivibrator is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 240 , having an output connected to the reset input of a latch 242 and an inverted output connected to a nand gate 244 . the switch 46 is connected to the set input of latch 242 , the output of the latch is connected to the other input of nand gate 244 , having its output connected to the input of and gate 206 . the operation of the circuit of fig1 will now be described to illustrate the sequence of operations occuring during attachment of a tag . as discussed above , the first step is operating switch 44 which causes latch 226 to be set and the feeder arm solenold valve 82 to be operated via driving circuit 228 and triac 230 . the feeder mechanism advances a selected tag towards the attaching station until it is in place and microswitch 120 is engaged , resulting in resetting latch 226 and turning off solenoid valve 82 thereby causing the feeder mechanism to return . a tag is now properly in place in the attaching station . the next step is to operate command switch 48 which simultaneously turns on the presser foot solenoid valve 118 via shaping circuit 208 , multivibrator 136 , driving circuit 212 and relay 214 , and turning on the cam gear clutch 29 via latch 210 , driving circuit 216 and relay 218 . thus , the presser foot engages the garment and the attaching mechanism begins operation meanwhile , latch 234 has been set , thereby temporarily blocking via gate 204 any further operation from pressing command switch 48 . the duration of operation of the presser foot solenoid valve 118 is controlled by multivibrator 136 . as discussed above , this has a direct effect upon the length of thread loop attaching the selected tag to the garment . when the multivibrator 136 times out , the presser foot is released . since the cam gear solenoid 26 is still being operated , the attaching mechanism completes its cycle of operation thereby attaching the tag . when the cycle is completed and limit switch 29 is momentarily engaged , the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 is again operated via the chain comprising the shaping circuit 220 , multivibrator 140 , shaping circuit 224 , driving circuit 228 and relay 230 . the feeder mechanism operates until a tag is deposited in the attaching station , microswitch 120 is engaged and the feeder mechanism is returned as described hereinabove . the latch 234 is also reset by engagement of the microswitch 120 so the system is prepared for another attaching cycle . in the above - described sequence , the multivibrator 140 is adjusted to delay the interval between completion of the attaching mechanism and a new operation of the feeder mechanism . if manual operation has been selected , the above sequence constitutes a finished cycle since gate 206 is blocked until another pulse is received from the command switch . if automatic operation is selected by engaging switch 46 and setting latch 242 , however , the pulse causing operation of the feeder mechanism as a result of triggering of the limit switch 29 also causes multivibrator 142 to produce a pulse which is used to repeat the entire attaching cycle via shaping circuit 240 , gates 244 and 206 . the multivibrator 142 is adjustable to control the interval between successive attaching cycles . thus , successive operations of the command switch 48 are not needed to initiate an attaching cycle when the automatic mode has been selected . disengaging switch 46 causes gate 206 to be blocked again , thereby switching to manual operation and halting the operation sequence at the conclusion of the last attaching cycle . it may be appreciated from the foregoing that many other circuit designs can be incorporated in the microprocessor to produce the desired functions and the disclosed embodiment is intended to be illustrative of just one possible design . for example , the circuitry can be replaced or altered to include transistors or operational amplifiers . alternately , the microprocessor may be incorporated in a single integrated circuit of an appropriate design to produce the desired operation . inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations , modifications and changes in detail , it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Textiles; Paper'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | 9d8123359446011bcbc860702f05aebea97704165a773239c7d2e84d11de9f01 | 0.005219 | 0.392578 | 0.000315 | 0.458984 | 0.014038 | 0.285156 |
null | the present invention is embodied in a tag attaching machine shown in perspective view in fig1 and identified generally by the number 20 . the tag attaching machine 20 includes a main frame member or base 22 on which is mounted a motor 24 which is coupled through a solenoid actuated clutch mechanism 26 to a main drive gear 28 which in turn is coupled to the tag attaching mechanism at a tag attaching station identified generally with the numeral 30 . the main frame member 22 also supports a pneumatic compressor 32 which provides a source of air , under slight pressure , for actuating various pneumatically controlled mechanisms as will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow . the tag attaching machine 20 also includes a transport mechanism , indicated generally at 34 for moving individual tags from a tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 . the tag transport mechanism 34 , the clutch and gear assembly 26 , 28 , and the mechanism at the tag attaching station 30 are all sequenced and controlled by a solid state microprocessor circuit indicated generally at 38 . for control of the tag attaching machine , several externally accessible switches are provided . disposed on a convenient control panel 40 above the transport assembly 34 is an on / off switch 42 controlling the supply of power to the overall machine . next to the on / off switch 42 is a pushbutton switch 44 which , as will be further described hereinbelow , causes the feed of a single tag from the tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 without initiating a tag attaching operation at the tag attaching station . a further two - position switch 46 is disposed next to pushbutton switch 44 and controls the programming of microprocessor 38 between a manual mode and an automatic mode . in the manual mode , the tag attaching machine 20 may be caused to feed a single tag and attach the same to a garment or article upon depression of a main operator control switch 48 . the actuation of switch 48 by the operator causes only a single operation to be performed when switch 46 is in the manual position . when the switch 46 is moved to its automatic position , the machine will repetitively and periodically continue to sequence through successive tag attaching operations thereby permitting the operator to automatically attach tags to garments or articles without having to separately actuate command switch 48 for each sequence . referring to fig2 and 4 , the tag feed mechanism 34 includes a main mounting member 50 attached to the main frame 22 . journaled for rotation about an upstanding pin 52 on member 50 is a transport actuating lever 70 . as can be appreciated from fig4 transport lever 70 is journaled at an intermediate point for rotation in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions about the axis of pin 52 . a first end 72 of arm 70 is pivotally attached to a piston 90 by an intermediate connecting element 74 . piston 90 is disposed within a conforming cylinder 80 which is connected by pneumatic lines to a solenoid operated pneumatic valve 82 via an extending outlet 84 and a retracting outlet 86 connected respectively at opposite ends of the cylinder 80 as shown . as will become clear below , the solenoid operated valve 82 , when at rest , supplies compressed air from compressor 32 through retracting outlet 86 to the end of cylinder 80 so as to cause the piston 90 to retract to the position shown in fig2 and 4 . the opposite end 76 of lever arm 70 is bifurcated to receive an upright post 78 carried upon a tuning fork - like tag push member 92 . the tag pusher member 92 has two tines 94 each provided at their distal ends with an offset shoulder 96 having a slightly downwardly inclined bottom surface 98 . pusher member 92 is disposed atop plate 50 between a pair of spaced , elongated channel guides 31 . the top surface of the channel guide members 31 is coplaner with the top surface of the tines 94 of pusher member 92 as can best be seen in the sectional view of fig7 . these members thus form a generally flat transport plate or surface so as to enable tags to be fed from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 whenever the pusher member 92 is rectilinearly shifted from the left to the right as visualized in fig4 under the driving force of the counter clockwise rotating lever arm 70 . turning to fig2 and 3 , a generally u - shaped frame member 33 is secured to the top of support plate 50 . rotatably disposed across frame 33 is a threaded rod 35 having a crank handle 37 attached at one end . an adjustable support block 39 is attached to a threaded nut 41 carried on the opposite end of rod 35 , as illustrated . the upper edge of block 39 is adapted to be received within a shallow groove or channel 43 in the lower surface of the cross portion of frame 33 so as to preclude the block 39 from rotation as crank handle 37 is turned . in this manner , turning of the crank handle causes linear transposition of the block 39 as can be appreciated from a comparison of fig2 and 3 . carried upon block 39 is a sensor , such as a microswitch 120 having an actuating roller 45 . the microswitch 120 is mounted on block 39 such that the roller 45 is in the path of rotary movement of lever arm 70 . as will be described in more detail herein below , the microswitch is actuated each time the lever arm 70 moves in a counter clockwise direction , as visualized in fig4 . thus , as the lever arm rotates from the rest position shown in fig2 through 4 to a tag feed position as shown in phantom lines in fig4 the microswitch will be actuated . mounted on the cross member of frame 33 is an upright pin or arm 47 . similarly , a pair of spaced upright arms 49 and 51 are attached to moveable block 39 . pin 47 , which is fixed with respect to frame 33 , cooperates with arms 49 and 51 to form a tag width gauge . as can be appreciated from fig2 and 3 , the tag width gauge may be easily used by merely positioning a single tag such that a prepunched hole therein is placed over pin 47 . with the tag thus in position , crank 37 is rotated to move arm 49 until it just engages the edge of the tag as shown in fig3 . since the movement of arm 49 on block 39 by turning crank 37 also causes a like movement of microswitch 120 , it can be appreciated that the end point of travel of lever 70 , which is determined by the microswitch 120 , will be adjusted each time as the tag width is measured . by coordinating the tag width gauge measurement with the positioning of the microswitch 120 on block 39 and with the distance between the tag supply stack 37 and the tag attaching station 30 , the tag pusher member 92 can be caused to move precisely the amount required to shift a tag from the stacked array to the tag attaching station by merely taking a representative tag and placing it in the width measurement gauge and adjusting crank 37 . since the tag width may vary over a considerable extent , it may be necessary in certain instances to remove tag push member 92 and replace the same with one having shorter tines 94 . when the substitute push member is thus installed , the second gauge arm 51 carried by moveable block 39 may be used in conjunction with fixed arm 47 to measure tag width and set the microswitch 120 accordingly . it can be appreciated from the above that the tag attaching machine according to the present invention is quickly and precisely adaptable to use with tags of widely varying widths . moreover , the adjustment is extremely simple and merely requires that the operator place the tag between the appropriate gauge members 47 and 49 or 47 and 51 and then merely rotate the crank 37 to conform to the tag dimension . this action automatically transpositions the microswitch 120 so as to establish the end point of travel of lever arm 70 whereupon the push member 92 will move the tag the precise distance necessary to bring the same into perfect alignment at the tag attaching station 30 . the apparatus according to the present invention further includes a tag thickness gauge . refering again to fig2 and 3 , the tag supply stack 36 is adapted to be placed against a retaining member 53 which is mounted such that its lower edge is spaced from the upper surface of the support plate formed by guides 31 and tines 94 of push member 92 so as to permit a tag of maximum intended thickness to pass therebetween . at the top of retaining member 53 , a perpendicular leg 55 extends toward the tag attaching station such that the retaining member 53 and attached leg 55 have a generally l - shaped section . a shutter 57 is mounted against the retaining member 53 by suitable means such as a screw 59 which extends through a slot in member 53 . a perpendicularly disposed leg 61 extends from the top edge of shutter 57 such that the shutter also has a generally l - shaped section . the dimensions of shutter 57 are such that the spacing between leg members 55 and 61 is precisely the same as the opening at the bottom of the shutter above the tag supporting plate formed by tines 94 and support members 31 . by placing a selected tag between members 55 and 61 , and , after loosening screw 59 , adjusting the shutter 57 accordingly , the shutter opening will be quickly and precisely set to permit only one tag to be withdrawn from the tag supply 36 and shifted to the tag attaching station 30 . on the opposite side of the tag supply stack 36 from retaining member 53 is a second retaining member 63 . this member may be moved to the left and to the right so as to accommodate tags of different widths and maintain the same in a neat stack . a weight 65 is attached , preferably with some degree of freedom to the bottom end of a rod 67 which is loosely held in an elongated slot 69 in a holding member 71 . a handle 73 is attached to the top of rod 67 so that the rod and weight may be picked up and moved and then replaced atop a stack of tags 36 to maintain the same in proper alignment . the tag supply 36 is also provided with a tag retention member 75 in the form of a generally flat strip of material having its top end bent over to form a finger grip portion 77 and having an ear 79 attached to wall member 63 by any suitable means such as screw 81 . member 75 may be positioned to accommodate tags of varying depths and effectively prevents the tag supply from inadvertent dislodgment . a metal tube 83 has an opening 85 shaped to form a nozzle . the tube 83 is held in position by an appropriate block 87 and is adapted to be connected to compressor 32 so as to feed a stream of air against the needle 132 . the stream of air eminating from nozzle 85 clears the severed loose ends of the thread after each tag attaching sequence and blows the remaining tag end to the right , as visualized in fig2 and 3 , so as to place the thread end in the proper position for pick up during the next tag attaching sequence . referring to fig8 and 10 , fig8 shows the positioning of the various elements at or near the tag attaching station 30 just prior to the first tag attaching operation . at this time , a single tag has been moved from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 and is sitting between the upper surface of the support plate and a guard plate 89 . an article to which a tag is to be attached is positioned over the presser block 128 , as shown . the operator then commences the tag attaching sequence by engaging switch 48 ( fig1 ). this begins the entire sequence and initially causes the needle 132 to move down . the needle will continue to travel down through the hole in the tag and through article until it reaches the lowest position of travel . at this point , a pick up mechanism 91 is operated to grasp the end of the thread at the lower end of the needle under the article . at this same time , the presser foot 116 will have pressed the article against presser block 128 to hold it securely in place . as the needle 132 begins to move back in the upward direction , the pick up mechanism will also move the end of the thread up above the guard plate 89 as shown in fig9 . depending upon the duration of the down position of the presser foot 116 , the length of the loop thus formed , as depicted in fig9 will vary . as will be described more fully herein below , the presser foot down duration is controlled by the microprocessor 38 , and a timing network included therein may be adjusted to select any desired loop diameter . at the conclusion of the tag attaching sequence , the article is pulled from the tag attaching station whereupon the knotting mechanism ( not shown ) completes its function and the next article may be then moved into position . referring now to fig1 the operation of the present invention through the control of microprocessor circuitry 38 will be explained in detail . the microprocessor circuitry 38 is connected to a source of power designated generally as power supply 100 . the power derived from supply 100 is utilized by the microprocessor to selectively operate the other elements of the invention . control of the microprocessor circuitry 38 is achieved through a plurality of switches connected to its inputs . as discussed above , a control panel 40 includes a two - position switch 42 which turns the microprocessor on and off , a push button switch 44 to cause movement of the transport mechanism without actual attachment of the tag , and a two - position switch 46 to operate the microprocessor in either mutual or automatic modes . in the manual mode , a first operation of switch 46 followed by operation of a command switch 48 causes movement and attachment of a single tag , whereas in automatic mode successive operations of the tag attaching mechanism result from a single operation of the command switch 48 . the motor 24 receives power from the microprocessor via line 102 . the gear 28 is engaged to be driven by the motor 24 upon operation of a clutch 26 contolled by the microprocessor via line 104 . a limit switch 29 detects the position of gear 28 and directs this information to the microprocessor via line 106 . the transport mechanism 34 operated via cylinder 80 is controlled through a solenoid valve 82 connected to the microprocessor via line 108 , to the cylinder 80 by outlets 84 and 86 to control respectively extending and retracting piston 90 , and to a pneumatic compressor 32 . power to the pneumatic compressor 32 is controlled by the microprocessor via line 112 . a microswitch 120 which detects the position of the tag feeder arm 70 transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . the microprocessor also controls a presser foot 116 by means of a solenoid valve 118 connected to line 121 , to extending outlet 122 and retracting outlet 124 of air cylinder 126 , and to the pneumatic compressor 32 . in operation , the presser foot 116 is extended to retain the material against presser block 128 directly below the attaching station 30 during movement of the attaching mechanism 130 including needle 132 and thread 134 . to perform a single tag attaching operation , switch 42 is first moved to its &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position , thereby causing power to be applied to the motor 24 and the pneumatic compressor 32 . switch 46 is placed in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position and switch 44 is operated once . in response , microprocessor circuitry 38 institutes movement of the transport mechanism 34 by operating the solenoid valve 82 via line 108 thereby directing air from the pneumatic compressor 32 into extending outlet 84 which causes a tag to be moved from the stack of tags 36 towards the tag attaching station 30 . when the selected tag has been completely moved into place in the tag attaching station 30 , microswitch 120 is engaged by the tag feeder arm 70 and transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . upon receipt of this signal the microprocessor disables solenoid valve 82 which causes air from the compressor 32 to be directed to retracting outlet 86 so that the piston 90 retracts into the cylinder 80 and the transport mechanism 34 moves back to its initial position . by operating switch 44 once , the resulting movement of tag mechanism 34 causes a selected tag to be moved to the tag attaching station 30 . at this time , the alignment of the tag can be verified and any needed changes in the tag gauges can be made . if attachment of the selected tag to the garment is desired , operation is continued by placing a garment on presser block 128 and pressing the command switch 48 one time . in response , the microprocessor simultaneously institutes movement of the presser foot 116 and the attaching mechanism 130 . a signal on line 120 causes the solenoid valve 118 to direct air from the compressor 32 to the extending outlet 122 of the presser foot cylinder 126 , thereby driving the presser foot 116 against the presser block 128 to hold the garment in place . after a predetermined albeit adjustable time , solenoid valve 118 is switched off thereby directing air into retracting outlet 124 so the presser foot 116 lifts off of presser block 128 . meanwhile , the attaching mechanism 130 is activated by controlling the clutch 26 so that cam gear 28 engages the motor 24 . the needle 132 and thread 134 of the attaching mechanism pass through the selected tag and garment in the manner described hereinabove . as the attaching mechanism draws the thread around the presser foot 116 a loop is formed and subsequently tied by further operation of the attaching mechanism . thus , the length of the resulting loop is dependent upon the distance between the actuating mechanism 130 and the presser foot at the moment the thread is tied . therefore , the length of time the presser foot 116 is extended is directly related to the length of the resulting loop : if the presser foot is retracted early , the distance is small when the thread is tied whereas keeping the presser foot down causes a greater distance and hence a longer loop at the moment of tying . the length of time the presser foot is extended is controlled by an adjustable delay circuit 136 located in the microprocessor . continued movement of the attaching mechanism 130 via the gear 28 and the motor 24 results in completed attachment of the selected tag by means of needle 122 containing thread 124 . at the time when the selected tag has been properly attached , position - indicating means 138 located on gear 28 , such as a notch 138 , causes operation of the limit switch 29 . this information is received by the microprocessor on line 106 which , in response thereto , directs operation of the clutch 26 so as to disengage the gear 28 from the motor 24 . there is , however , sufficient momentum left in gear 28 to cause continued movement of the position - indicating notch 138 of the gear past the limit switch 29 so that the limit switch 29 is no longer engaged . at this point , the tag attaching procudure has completed one full cycle and the garment with tag can be removed thereby simultaneously cutting the tied thread free . the signal generated by engagement of the limit switch 29 is used for a second function by the microprocessor , however , to prepare for another tag - attaching operation . in addition to disengaging the clutch 26 , the microprocessor in response to operation of the limit switch causes the transport mechanism 34 to deposit another tag in the attaching station 30 per the steps set forth herein above . the last step of each attaching cycle , therefore , is to deposit another tag in the attaching station so as to be ready for a second operation of the command switch 48 . an adjustable delay circuitry 140 is included in the microprocessor connected to line 108 leading to the transport mechanism solenoid valve 82 to vary the interval between completion of tag attachment by attaching means 130 and the delivery of another tag in the manner described immediately above . this allows an operator sufficient time to remove the previous garment and tag from the attaching station 30 and presser block 128 so as to avoid jamming the device by delivering a new tag before removal is completed . the interval is adjustable to provide for varying degrees of skill among operators of the machine . successive operations of the command switch 48 while switch 46 is in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; setting causes the foregoing sequences to be repeated each time in response thereto . if the switch 46 is moved to &# 34 ; automatic &# 34 ; position and the command switch 48 is then operated , the foregoing events occur as described above with the additional step that operation of the limit switch 29 by gear 28 also causes the microprocessor to initiate another cycle of the attaching means , presser foot and transport mechanism upon completion of the prior cycle . in this manner , successive attachments of the tags occur automatically in response to a single operation of the command switch 48 , until switch 46 is moved back to &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position thereby completing the current cycle and then stopping . an adjustable delay circuit 142 included in the microprocessor may be used to control the interval of time between successive cycles of tag attaching when operating in the automatic mode . it may be appreciated that many different devices may be used to implement the circuitry and control mechanisms described hereinabove . for example , the clutch 26 engaging gear 28 may be a magnetic - type clutch , a pneumatic or hydraulic clutch , or a fully electronic braking system . similarly , the devices used to operate the transport mechanism 34 and the presser foot 116 may comprise pneumatic devices as discussed above or , alternately , bi - directional electric motors , hydraulic devices or any other suitable mechanisms . the microprocessor circuitry 38 may be designed in a variety of ways so as to accomplish the particular operating functions discussed hereinabove . a preferred embodiment of the microprocessor is illustrated in fig1 , wherein the reference characters correspond to those used in fig1 . the preferred embodiment comprises a known dc power supply 200 connected through the on / off switch 42 to the power source 100 to develop an internal voltage and ground . a reset pulse icl is developed by circuitry 202 connected to the power supply 200 . the pulse icl is characterized by the generation of a slowly increasing voltage waveform upon turning switch 42 on and is used to effect automatic reset and initialization of the other microprocessor circuitry . the command switch is connected to the input of a nand gate 204 having an output connected to an input of and gate 206 . the output of and gate 206 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 208 and to the set input of a latch 210 comprising nand gates . the output of the shaping circuit 208 is also connected to the monostable multivibrator 136 adjustable via resistor 210 . the pulse produced by the multivibrator 136 is connected to a driving circuit 212 for a relay 214 controlling the presser foot solenoid valve 118 . the output of the latch 210 is connected to another driving circuit 216 for a relay 218 controlling the cam gear clutch 26 . the input of the shaping circuit is connected to the limit switch 29 of the cam gear 28 . one reset input of the latch 210 is connected to master reset icl , and a second to the input of the monostable multivibrator 140 adjustable via resistor 222 . the output of multivibrator 140 is connected to a positive waveform pulse shaping circuit 224 , having an output connected to a set input of latch 226 . the latch 226 is connected to a driving circuit 228 for control of the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 through triac 230 . the microswitch 120 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 232 which has an output connected to the reset inputs of latch 226 and latch 234 . another reset input of latch 234 is connected to master reset icl , a set input to shaping circuit 208 , and the inverted output of the latch 234 to an input of nand gate 204 and nand gate 236 . this latter gate has another input connected to switch 44 and its output connected to the latch 226 . the output of shaping circuit 224 is also connected to a monostable multivibrator 142 adjustable via resistor 238 . the output of the multivibrator is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 240 , having an output connected to the reset input of a latch 242 and an inverted output connected to a nand gate 244 . the switch 46 is connected to the set input of latch 242 , the output of the latch is connected to the other input of nand gate 244 , having its output connected to the input of and gate 206 . the operation of the circuit of fig1 will now be described to illustrate the sequence of operations occuring during attachment of a tag . as discussed above , the first step is operating switch 44 which causes latch 226 to be set and the feeder arm solenold valve 82 to be operated via driving circuit 228 and triac 230 . the feeder mechanism advances a selected tag towards the attaching station until it is in place and microswitch 120 is engaged , resulting in resetting latch 226 and turning off solenoid valve 82 thereby causing the feeder mechanism to return . a tag is now properly in place in the attaching station . the next step is to operate command switch 48 which simultaneously turns on the presser foot solenoid valve 118 via shaping circuit 208 , multivibrator 136 , driving circuit 212 and relay 214 , and turning on the cam gear clutch 29 via latch 210 , driving circuit 216 and relay 218 . thus , the presser foot engages the garment and the attaching mechanism begins operation meanwhile , latch 234 has been set , thereby temporarily blocking via gate 204 any further operation from pressing command switch 48 . the duration of operation of the presser foot solenoid valve 118 is controlled by multivibrator 136 . as discussed above , this has a direct effect upon the length of thread loop attaching the selected tag to the garment . when the multivibrator 136 times out , the presser foot is released . since the cam gear solenoid 26 is still being operated , the attaching mechanism completes its cycle of operation thereby attaching the tag . when the cycle is completed and limit switch 29 is momentarily engaged , the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 is again operated via the chain comprising the shaping circuit 220 , multivibrator 140 , shaping circuit 224 , driving circuit 228 and relay 230 . the feeder mechanism operates until a tag is deposited in the attaching station , microswitch 120 is engaged and the feeder mechanism is returned as described hereinabove . the latch 234 is also reset by engagement of the microswitch 120 so the system is prepared for another attaching cycle . in the above - described sequence , the multivibrator 140 is adjusted to delay the interval between completion of the attaching mechanism and a new operation of the feeder mechanism . if manual operation has been selected , the above sequence constitutes a finished cycle since gate 206 is blocked until another pulse is received from the command switch . if automatic operation is selected by engaging switch 46 and setting latch 242 , however , the pulse causing operation of the feeder mechanism as a result of triggering of the limit switch 29 also causes multivibrator 142 to produce a pulse which is used to repeat the entire attaching cycle via shaping circuit 240 , gates 244 and 206 . the multivibrator 142 is adjustable to control the interval between successive attaching cycles . thus , successive operations of the command switch 48 are not needed to initiate an attaching cycle when the automatic mode has been selected . disengaging switch 46 causes gate 206 to be blocked again , thereby switching to manual operation and halting the operation sequence at the conclusion of the last attaching cycle . it may be appreciated from the foregoing that many other circuit designs can be incorporated in the microprocessor to produce the desired functions and the disclosed embodiment is intended to be illustrative of just one possible design . for example , the circuitry can be replaced or altered to include transistors or operational amplifiers . alternately , the microprocessor may be incorporated in a single integrated circuit of an appropriate design to produce the desired operation . inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations , modifications and changes in detail , it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . | Is 'Textiles; Paper' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is 'Chemistry; Metallurgy' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 9d8123359446011bcbc860702f05aebea97704165a773239c7d2e84d11de9f01 | 0.002808 | 0.001411 | 0.000504 | 0.000458 | 0.019409 | 0.004211 |
null | the present invention is embodied in a tag attaching machine shown in perspective view in fig1 and identified generally by the number 20 . the tag attaching machine 20 includes a main frame member or base 22 on which is mounted a motor 24 which is coupled through a solenoid actuated clutch mechanism 26 to a main drive gear 28 which in turn is coupled to the tag attaching mechanism at a tag attaching station identified generally with the numeral 30 . the main frame member 22 also supports a pneumatic compressor 32 which provides a source of air , under slight pressure , for actuating various pneumatically controlled mechanisms as will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow . the tag attaching machine 20 also includes a transport mechanism , indicated generally at 34 for moving individual tags from a tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 . the tag transport mechanism 34 , the clutch and gear assembly 26 , 28 , and the mechanism at the tag attaching station 30 are all sequenced and controlled by a solid state microprocessor circuit indicated generally at 38 . for control of the tag attaching machine , several externally accessible switches are provided . disposed on a convenient control panel 40 above the transport assembly 34 is an on / off switch 42 controlling the supply of power to the overall machine . next to the on / off switch 42 is a pushbutton switch 44 which , as will be further described hereinbelow , causes the feed of a single tag from the tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 without initiating a tag attaching operation at the tag attaching station . a further two - position switch 46 is disposed next to pushbutton switch 44 and controls the programming of microprocessor 38 between a manual mode and an automatic mode . in the manual mode , the tag attaching machine 20 may be caused to feed a single tag and attach the same to a garment or article upon depression of a main operator control switch 48 . the actuation of switch 48 by the operator causes only a single operation to be performed when switch 46 is in the manual position . when the switch 46 is moved to its automatic position , the machine will repetitively and periodically continue to sequence through successive tag attaching operations thereby permitting the operator to automatically attach tags to garments or articles without having to separately actuate command switch 48 for each sequence . referring to fig2 and 4 , the tag feed mechanism 34 includes a main mounting member 50 attached to the main frame 22 . journaled for rotation about an upstanding pin 52 on member 50 is a transport actuating lever 70 . as can be appreciated from fig4 transport lever 70 is journaled at an intermediate point for rotation in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions about the axis of pin 52 . a first end 72 of arm 70 is pivotally attached to a piston 90 by an intermediate connecting element 74 . piston 90 is disposed within a conforming cylinder 80 which is connected by pneumatic lines to a solenoid operated pneumatic valve 82 via an extending outlet 84 and a retracting outlet 86 connected respectively at opposite ends of the cylinder 80 as shown . as will become clear below , the solenoid operated valve 82 , when at rest , supplies compressed air from compressor 32 through retracting outlet 86 to the end of cylinder 80 so as to cause the piston 90 to retract to the position shown in fig2 and 4 . the opposite end 76 of lever arm 70 is bifurcated to receive an upright post 78 carried upon a tuning fork - like tag push member 92 . the tag pusher member 92 has two tines 94 each provided at their distal ends with an offset shoulder 96 having a slightly downwardly inclined bottom surface 98 . pusher member 92 is disposed atop plate 50 between a pair of spaced , elongated channel guides 31 . the top surface of the channel guide members 31 is coplaner with the top surface of the tines 94 of pusher member 92 as can best be seen in the sectional view of fig7 . these members thus form a generally flat transport plate or surface so as to enable tags to be fed from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 whenever the pusher member 92 is rectilinearly shifted from the left to the right as visualized in fig4 under the driving force of the counter clockwise rotating lever arm 70 . turning to fig2 and 3 , a generally u - shaped frame member 33 is secured to the top of support plate 50 . rotatably disposed across frame 33 is a threaded rod 35 having a crank handle 37 attached at one end . an adjustable support block 39 is attached to a threaded nut 41 carried on the opposite end of rod 35 , as illustrated . the upper edge of block 39 is adapted to be received within a shallow groove or channel 43 in the lower surface of the cross portion of frame 33 so as to preclude the block 39 from rotation as crank handle 37 is turned . in this manner , turning of the crank handle causes linear transposition of the block 39 as can be appreciated from a comparison of fig2 and 3 . carried upon block 39 is a sensor , such as a microswitch 120 having an actuating roller 45 . the microswitch 120 is mounted on block 39 such that the roller 45 is in the path of rotary movement of lever arm 70 . as will be described in more detail herein below , the microswitch is actuated each time the lever arm 70 moves in a counter clockwise direction , as visualized in fig4 . thus , as the lever arm rotates from the rest position shown in fig2 through 4 to a tag feed position as shown in phantom lines in fig4 the microswitch will be actuated . mounted on the cross member of frame 33 is an upright pin or arm 47 . similarly , a pair of spaced upright arms 49 and 51 are attached to moveable block 39 . pin 47 , which is fixed with respect to frame 33 , cooperates with arms 49 and 51 to form a tag width gauge . as can be appreciated from fig2 and 3 , the tag width gauge may be easily used by merely positioning a single tag such that a prepunched hole therein is placed over pin 47 . with the tag thus in position , crank 37 is rotated to move arm 49 until it just engages the edge of the tag as shown in fig3 . since the movement of arm 49 on block 39 by turning crank 37 also causes a like movement of microswitch 120 , it can be appreciated that the end point of travel of lever 70 , which is determined by the microswitch 120 , will be adjusted each time as the tag width is measured . by coordinating the tag width gauge measurement with the positioning of the microswitch 120 on block 39 and with the distance between the tag supply stack 37 and the tag attaching station 30 , the tag pusher member 92 can be caused to move precisely the amount required to shift a tag from the stacked array to the tag attaching station by merely taking a representative tag and placing it in the width measurement gauge and adjusting crank 37 . since the tag width may vary over a considerable extent , it may be necessary in certain instances to remove tag push member 92 and replace the same with one having shorter tines 94 . when the substitute push member is thus installed , the second gauge arm 51 carried by moveable block 39 may be used in conjunction with fixed arm 47 to measure tag width and set the microswitch 120 accordingly . it can be appreciated from the above that the tag attaching machine according to the present invention is quickly and precisely adaptable to use with tags of widely varying widths . moreover , the adjustment is extremely simple and merely requires that the operator place the tag between the appropriate gauge members 47 and 49 or 47 and 51 and then merely rotate the crank 37 to conform to the tag dimension . this action automatically transpositions the microswitch 120 so as to establish the end point of travel of lever arm 70 whereupon the push member 92 will move the tag the precise distance necessary to bring the same into perfect alignment at the tag attaching station 30 . the apparatus according to the present invention further includes a tag thickness gauge . refering again to fig2 and 3 , the tag supply stack 36 is adapted to be placed against a retaining member 53 which is mounted such that its lower edge is spaced from the upper surface of the support plate formed by guides 31 and tines 94 of push member 92 so as to permit a tag of maximum intended thickness to pass therebetween . at the top of retaining member 53 , a perpendicular leg 55 extends toward the tag attaching station such that the retaining member 53 and attached leg 55 have a generally l - shaped section . a shutter 57 is mounted against the retaining member 53 by suitable means such as a screw 59 which extends through a slot in member 53 . a perpendicularly disposed leg 61 extends from the top edge of shutter 57 such that the shutter also has a generally l - shaped section . the dimensions of shutter 57 are such that the spacing between leg members 55 and 61 is precisely the same as the opening at the bottom of the shutter above the tag supporting plate formed by tines 94 and support members 31 . by placing a selected tag between members 55 and 61 , and , after loosening screw 59 , adjusting the shutter 57 accordingly , the shutter opening will be quickly and precisely set to permit only one tag to be withdrawn from the tag supply 36 and shifted to the tag attaching station 30 . on the opposite side of the tag supply stack 36 from retaining member 53 is a second retaining member 63 . this member may be moved to the left and to the right so as to accommodate tags of different widths and maintain the same in a neat stack . a weight 65 is attached , preferably with some degree of freedom to the bottom end of a rod 67 which is loosely held in an elongated slot 69 in a holding member 71 . a handle 73 is attached to the top of rod 67 so that the rod and weight may be picked up and moved and then replaced atop a stack of tags 36 to maintain the same in proper alignment . the tag supply 36 is also provided with a tag retention member 75 in the form of a generally flat strip of material having its top end bent over to form a finger grip portion 77 and having an ear 79 attached to wall member 63 by any suitable means such as screw 81 . member 75 may be positioned to accommodate tags of varying depths and effectively prevents the tag supply from inadvertent dislodgment . a metal tube 83 has an opening 85 shaped to form a nozzle . the tube 83 is held in position by an appropriate block 87 and is adapted to be connected to compressor 32 so as to feed a stream of air against the needle 132 . the stream of air eminating from nozzle 85 clears the severed loose ends of the thread after each tag attaching sequence and blows the remaining tag end to the right , as visualized in fig2 and 3 , so as to place the thread end in the proper position for pick up during the next tag attaching sequence . referring to fig8 and 10 , fig8 shows the positioning of the various elements at or near the tag attaching station 30 just prior to the first tag attaching operation . at this time , a single tag has been moved from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 and is sitting between the upper surface of the support plate and a guard plate 89 . an article to which a tag is to be attached is positioned over the presser block 128 , as shown . the operator then commences the tag attaching sequence by engaging switch 48 ( fig1 ). this begins the entire sequence and initially causes the needle 132 to move down . the needle will continue to travel down through the hole in the tag and through article until it reaches the lowest position of travel . at this point , a pick up mechanism 91 is operated to grasp the end of the thread at the lower end of the needle under the article . at this same time , the presser foot 116 will have pressed the article against presser block 128 to hold it securely in place . as the needle 132 begins to move back in the upward direction , the pick up mechanism will also move the end of the thread up above the guard plate 89 as shown in fig9 . depending upon the duration of the down position of the presser foot 116 , the length of the loop thus formed , as depicted in fig9 will vary . as will be described more fully herein below , the presser foot down duration is controlled by the microprocessor 38 , and a timing network included therein may be adjusted to select any desired loop diameter . at the conclusion of the tag attaching sequence , the article is pulled from the tag attaching station whereupon the knotting mechanism ( not shown ) completes its function and the next article may be then moved into position . referring now to fig1 the operation of the present invention through the control of microprocessor circuitry 38 will be explained in detail . the microprocessor circuitry 38 is connected to a source of power designated generally as power supply 100 . the power derived from supply 100 is utilized by the microprocessor to selectively operate the other elements of the invention . control of the microprocessor circuitry 38 is achieved through a plurality of switches connected to its inputs . as discussed above , a control panel 40 includes a two - position switch 42 which turns the microprocessor on and off , a push button switch 44 to cause movement of the transport mechanism without actual attachment of the tag , and a two - position switch 46 to operate the microprocessor in either mutual or automatic modes . in the manual mode , a first operation of switch 46 followed by operation of a command switch 48 causes movement and attachment of a single tag , whereas in automatic mode successive operations of the tag attaching mechanism result from a single operation of the command switch 48 . the motor 24 receives power from the microprocessor via line 102 . the gear 28 is engaged to be driven by the motor 24 upon operation of a clutch 26 contolled by the microprocessor via line 104 . a limit switch 29 detects the position of gear 28 and directs this information to the microprocessor via line 106 . the transport mechanism 34 operated via cylinder 80 is controlled through a solenoid valve 82 connected to the microprocessor via line 108 , to the cylinder 80 by outlets 84 and 86 to control respectively extending and retracting piston 90 , and to a pneumatic compressor 32 . power to the pneumatic compressor 32 is controlled by the microprocessor via line 112 . a microswitch 120 which detects the position of the tag feeder arm 70 transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . the microprocessor also controls a presser foot 116 by means of a solenoid valve 118 connected to line 121 , to extending outlet 122 and retracting outlet 124 of air cylinder 126 , and to the pneumatic compressor 32 . in operation , the presser foot 116 is extended to retain the material against presser block 128 directly below the attaching station 30 during movement of the attaching mechanism 130 including needle 132 and thread 134 . to perform a single tag attaching operation , switch 42 is first moved to its &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position , thereby causing power to be applied to the motor 24 and the pneumatic compressor 32 . switch 46 is placed in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position and switch 44 is operated once . in response , microprocessor circuitry 38 institutes movement of the transport mechanism 34 by operating the solenoid valve 82 via line 108 thereby directing air from the pneumatic compressor 32 into extending outlet 84 which causes a tag to be moved from the stack of tags 36 towards the tag attaching station 30 . when the selected tag has been completely moved into place in the tag attaching station 30 , microswitch 120 is engaged by the tag feeder arm 70 and transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . upon receipt of this signal the microprocessor disables solenoid valve 82 which causes air from the compressor 32 to be directed to retracting outlet 86 so that the piston 90 retracts into the cylinder 80 and the transport mechanism 34 moves back to its initial position . by operating switch 44 once , the resulting movement of tag mechanism 34 causes a selected tag to be moved to the tag attaching station 30 . at this time , the alignment of the tag can be verified and any needed changes in the tag gauges can be made . if attachment of the selected tag to the garment is desired , operation is continued by placing a garment on presser block 128 and pressing the command switch 48 one time . in response , the microprocessor simultaneously institutes movement of the presser foot 116 and the attaching mechanism 130 . a signal on line 120 causes the solenoid valve 118 to direct air from the compressor 32 to the extending outlet 122 of the presser foot cylinder 126 , thereby driving the presser foot 116 against the presser block 128 to hold the garment in place . after a predetermined albeit adjustable time , solenoid valve 118 is switched off thereby directing air into retracting outlet 124 so the presser foot 116 lifts off of presser block 128 . meanwhile , the attaching mechanism 130 is activated by controlling the clutch 26 so that cam gear 28 engages the motor 24 . the needle 132 and thread 134 of the attaching mechanism pass through the selected tag and garment in the manner described hereinabove . as the attaching mechanism draws the thread around the presser foot 116 a loop is formed and subsequently tied by further operation of the attaching mechanism . thus , the length of the resulting loop is dependent upon the distance between the actuating mechanism 130 and the presser foot at the moment the thread is tied . therefore , the length of time the presser foot 116 is extended is directly related to the length of the resulting loop : if the presser foot is retracted early , the distance is small when the thread is tied whereas keeping the presser foot down causes a greater distance and hence a longer loop at the moment of tying . the length of time the presser foot is extended is controlled by an adjustable delay circuit 136 located in the microprocessor . continued movement of the attaching mechanism 130 via the gear 28 and the motor 24 results in completed attachment of the selected tag by means of needle 122 containing thread 124 . at the time when the selected tag has been properly attached , position - indicating means 138 located on gear 28 , such as a notch 138 , causes operation of the limit switch 29 . this information is received by the microprocessor on line 106 which , in response thereto , directs operation of the clutch 26 so as to disengage the gear 28 from the motor 24 . there is , however , sufficient momentum left in gear 28 to cause continued movement of the position - indicating notch 138 of the gear past the limit switch 29 so that the limit switch 29 is no longer engaged . at this point , the tag attaching procudure has completed one full cycle and the garment with tag can be removed thereby simultaneously cutting the tied thread free . the signal generated by engagement of the limit switch 29 is used for a second function by the microprocessor , however , to prepare for another tag - attaching operation . in addition to disengaging the clutch 26 , the microprocessor in response to operation of the limit switch causes the transport mechanism 34 to deposit another tag in the attaching station 30 per the steps set forth herein above . the last step of each attaching cycle , therefore , is to deposit another tag in the attaching station so as to be ready for a second operation of the command switch 48 . an adjustable delay circuitry 140 is included in the microprocessor connected to line 108 leading to the transport mechanism solenoid valve 82 to vary the interval between completion of tag attachment by attaching means 130 and the delivery of another tag in the manner described immediately above . this allows an operator sufficient time to remove the previous garment and tag from the attaching station 30 and presser block 128 so as to avoid jamming the device by delivering a new tag before removal is completed . the interval is adjustable to provide for varying degrees of skill among operators of the machine . successive operations of the command switch 48 while switch 46 is in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; setting causes the foregoing sequences to be repeated each time in response thereto . if the switch 46 is moved to &# 34 ; automatic &# 34 ; position and the command switch 48 is then operated , the foregoing events occur as described above with the additional step that operation of the limit switch 29 by gear 28 also causes the microprocessor to initiate another cycle of the attaching means , presser foot and transport mechanism upon completion of the prior cycle . in this manner , successive attachments of the tags occur automatically in response to a single operation of the command switch 48 , until switch 46 is moved back to &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position thereby completing the current cycle and then stopping . an adjustable delay circuit 142 included in the microprocessor may be used to control the interval of time between successive cycles of tag attaching when operating in the automatic mode . it may be appreciated that many different devices may be used to implement the circuitry and control mechanisms described hereinabove . for example , the clutch 26 engaging gear 28 may be a magnetic - type clutch , a pneumatic or hydraulic clutch , or a fully electronic braking system . similarly , the devices used to operate the transport mechanism 34 and the presser foot 116 may comprise pneumatic devices as discussed above or , alternately , bi - directional electric motors , hydraulic devices or any other suitable mechanisms . the microprocessor circuitry 38 may be designed in a variety of ways so as to accomplish the particular operating functions discussed hereinabove . a preferred embodiment of the microprocessor is illustrated in fig1 , wherein the reference characters correspond to those used in fig1 . the preferred embodiment comprises a known dc power supply 200 connected through the on / off switch 42 to the power source 100 to develop an internal voltage and ground . a reset pulse icl is developed by circuitry 202 connected to the power supply 200 . the pulse icl is characterized by the generation of a slowly increasing voltage waveform upon turning switch 42 on and is used to effect automatic reset and initialization of the other microprocessor circuitry . the command switch is connected to the input of a nand gate 204 having an output connected to an input of and gate 206 . the output of and gate 206 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 208 and to the set input of a latch 210 comprising nand gates . the output of the shaping circuit 208 is also connected to the monostable multivibrator 136 adjustable via resistor 210 . the pulse produced by the multivibrator 136 is connected to a driving circuit 212 for a relay 214 controlling the presser foot solenoid valve 118 . the output of the latch 210 is connected to another driving circuit 216 for a relay 218 controlling the cam gear clutch 26 . the input of the shaping circuit is connected to the limit switch 29 of the cam gear 28 . one reset input of the latch 210 is connected to master reset icl , and a second to the input of the monostable multivibrator 140 adjustable via resistor 222 . the output of multivibrator 140 is connected to a positive waveform pulse shaping circuit 224 , having an output connected to a set input of latch 226 . the latch 226 is connected to a driving circuit 228 for control of the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 through triac 230 . the microswitch 120 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 232 which has an output connected to the reset inputs of latch 226 and latch 234 . another reset input of latch 234 is connected to master reset icl , a set input to shaping circuit 208 , and the inverted output of the latch 234 to an input of nand gate 204 and nand gate 236 . this latter gate has another input connected to switch 44 and its output connected to the latch 226 . the output of shaping circuit 224 is also connected to a monostable multivibrator 142 adjustable via resistor 238 . the output of the multivibrator is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 240 , having an output connected to the reset input of a latch 242 and an inverted output connected to a nand gate 244 . the switch 46 is connected to the set input of latch 242 , the output of the latch is connected to the other input of nand gate 244 , having its output connected to the input of and gate 206 . the operation of the circuit of fig1 will now be described to illustrate the sequence of operations occuring during attachment of a tag . as discussed above , the first step is operating switch 44 which causes latch 226 to be set and the feeder arm solenold valve 82 to be operated via driving circuit 228 and triac 230 . the feeder mechanism advances a selected tag towards the attaching station until it is in place and microswitch 120 is engaged , resulting in resetting latch 226 and turning off solenoid valve 82 thereby causing the feeder mechanism to return . a tag is now properly in place in the attaching station . the next step is to operate command switch 48 which simultaneously turns on the presser foot solenoid valve 118 via shaping circuit 208 , multivibrator 136 , driving circuit 212 and relay 214 , and turning on the cam gear clutch 29 via latch 210 , driving circuit 216 and relay 218 . thus , the presser foot engages the garment and the attaching mechanism begins operation meanwhile , latch 234 has been set , thereby temporarily blocking via gate 204 any further operation from pressing command switch 48 . the duration of operation of the presser foot solenoid valve 118 is controlled by multivibrator 136 . as discussed above , this has a direct effect upon the length of thread loop attaching the selected tag to the garment . when the multivibrator 136 times out , the presser foot is released . since the cam gear solenoid 26 is still being operated , the attaching mechanism completes its cycle of operation thereby attaching the tag . when the cycle is completed and limit switch 29 is momentarily engaged , the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 is again operated via the chain comprising the shaping circuit 220 , multivibrator 140 , shaping circuit 224 , driving circuit 228 and relay 230 . the feeder mechanism operates until a tag is deposited in the attaching station , microswitch 120 is engaged and the feeder mechanism is returned as described hereinabove . the latch 234 is also reset by engagement of the microswitch 120 so the system is prepared for another attaching cycle . in the above - described sequence , the multivibrator 140 is adjusted to delay the interval between completion of the attaching mechanism and a new operation of the feeder mechanism . if manual operation has been selected , the above sequence constitutes a finished cycle since gate 206 is blocked until another pulse is received from the command switch . if automatic operation is selected by engaging switch 46 and setting latch 242 , however , the pulse causing operation of the feeder mechanism as a result of triggering of the limit switch 29 also causes multivibrator 142 to produce a pulse which is used to repeat the entire attaching cycle via shaping circuit 240 , gates 244 and 206 . the multivibrator 142 is adjustable to control the interval between successive attaching cycles . thus , successive operations of the command switch 48 are not needed to initiate an attaching cycle when the automatic mode has been selected . disengaging switch 46 causes gate 206 to be blocked again , thereby switching to manual operation and halting the operation sequence at the conclusion of the last attaching cycle . it may be appreciated from the foregoing that many other circuit designs can be incorporated in the microprocessor to produce the desired functions and the disclosed embodiment is intended to be illustrative of just one possible design . for example , the circuitry can be replaced or altered to include transistors or operational amplifiers . alternately , the microprocessor may be incorporated in a single integrated circuit of an appropriate design to produce the desired operation . inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations , modifications and changes in detail , it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Textiles; Paper'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | 9d8123359446011bcbc860702f05aebea97704165a773239c7d2e84d11de9f01 | 0.005554 | 0.036865 | 0.000315 | 0.103516 | 0.014038 | 0.087402 |
null | the present invention is embodied in a tag attaching machine shown in perspective view in fig1 and identified generally by the number 20 . the tag attaching machine 20 includes a main frame member or base 22 on which is mounted a motor 24 which is coupled through a solenoid actuated clutch mechanism 26 to a main drive gear 28 which in turn is coupled to the tag attaching mechanism at a tag attaching station identified generally with the numeral 30 . the main frame member 22 also supports a pneumatic compressor 32 which provides a source of air , under slight pressure , for actuating various pneumatically controlled mechanisms as will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow . the tag attaching machine 20 also includes a transport mechanism , indicated generally at 34 for moving individual tags from a tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 . the tag transport mechanism 34 , the clutch and gear assembly 26 , 28 , and the mechanism at the tag attaching station 30 are all sequenced and controlled by a solid state microprocessor circuit indicated generally at 38 . for control of the tag attaching machine , several externally accessible switches are provided . disposed on a convenient control panel 40 above the transport assembly 34 is an on / off switch 42 controlling the supply of power to the overall machine . next to the on / off switch 42 is a pushbutton switch 44 which , as will be further described hereinbelow , causes the feed of a single tag from the tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 without initiating a tag attaching operation at the tag attaching station . a further two - position switch 46 is disposed next to pushbutton switch 44 and controls the programming of microprocessor 38 between a manual mode and an automatic mode . in the manual mode , the tag attaching machine 20 may be caused to feed a single tag and attach the same to a garment or article upon depression of a main operator control switch 48 . the actuation of switch 48 by the operator causes only a single operation to be performed when switch 46 is in the manual position . when the switch 46 is moved to its automatic position , the machine will repetitively and periodically continue to sequence through successive tag attaching operations thereby permitting the operator to automatically attach tags to garments or articles without having to separately actuate command switch 48 for each sequence . referring to fig2 and 4 , the tag feed mechanism 34 includes a main mounting member 50 attached to the main frame 22 . journaled for rotation about an upstanding pin 52 on member 50 is a transport actuating lever 70 . as can be appreciated from fig4 transport lever 70 is journaled at an intermediate point for rotation in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions about the axis of pin 52 . a first end 72 of arm 70 is pivotally attached to a piston 90 by an intermediate connecting element 74 . piston 90 is disposed within a conforming cylinder 80 which is connected by pneumatic lines to a solenoid operated pneumatic valve 82 via an extending outlet 84 and a retracting outlet 86 connected respectively at opposite ends of the cylinder 80 as shown . as will become clear below , the solenoid operated valve 82 , when at rest , supplies compressed air from compressor 32 through retracting outlet 86 to the end of cylinder 80 so as to cause the piston 90 to retract to the position shown in fig2 and 4 . the opposite end 76 of lever arm 70 is bifurcated to receive an upright post 78 carried upon a tuning fork - like tag push member 92 . the tag pusher member 92 has two tines 94 each provided at their distal ends with an offset shoulder 96 having a slightly downwardly inclined bottom surface 98 . pusher member 92 is disposed atop plate 50 between a pair of spaced , elongated channel guides 31 . the top surface of the channel guide members 31 is coplaner with the top surface of the tines 94 of pusher member 92 as can best be seen in the sectional view of fig7 . these members thus form a generally flat transport plate or surface so as to enable tags to be fed from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 whenever the pusher member 92 is rectilinearly shifted from the left to the right as visualized in fig4 under the driving force of the counter clockwise rotating lever arm 70 . turning to fig2 and 3 , a generally u - shaped frame member 33 is secured to the top of support plate 50 . rotatably disposed across frame 33 is a threaded rod 35 having a crank handle 37 attached at one end . an adjustable support block 39 is attached to a threaded nut 41 carried on the opposite end of rod 35 , as illustrated . the upper edge of block 39 is adapted to be received within a shallow groove or channel 43 in the lower surface of the cross portion of frame 33 so as to preclude the block 39 from rotation as crank handle 37 is turned . in this manner , turning of the crank handle causes linear transposition of the block 39 as can be appreciated from a comparison of fig2 and 3 . carried upon block 39 is a sensor , such as a microswitch 120 having an actuating roller 45 . the microswitch 120 is mounted on block 39 such that the roller 45 is in the path of rotary movement of lever arm 70 . as will be described in more detail herein below , the microswitch is actuated each time the lever arm 70 moves in a counter clockwise direction , as visualized in fig4 . thus , as the lever arm rotates from the rest position shown in fig2 through 4 to a tag feed position as shown in phantom lines in fig4 the microswitch will be actuated . mounted on the cross member of frame 33 is an upright pin or arm 47 . similarly , a pair of spaced upright arms 49 and 51 are attached to moveable block 39 . pin 47 , which is fixed with respect to frame 33 , cooperates with arms 49 and 51 to form a tag width gauge . as can be appreciated from fig2 and 3 , the tag width gauge may be easily used by merely positioning a single tag such that a prepunched hole therein is placed over pin 47 . with the tag thus in position , crank 37 is rotated to move arm 49 until it just engages the edge of the tag as shown in fig3 . since the movement of arm 49 on block 39 by turning crank 37 also causes a like movement of microswitch 120 , it can be appreciated that the end point of travel of lever 70 , which is determined by the microswitch 120 , will be adjusted each time as the tag width is measured . by coordinating the tag width gauge measurement with the positioning of the microswitch 120 on block 39 and with the distance between the tag supply stack 37 and the tag attaching station 30 , the tag pusher member 92 can be caused to move precisely the amount required to shift a tag from the stacked array to the tag attaching station by merely taking a representative tag and placing it in the width measurement gauge and adjusting crank 37 . since the tag width may vary over a considerable extent , it may be necessary in certain instances to remove tag push member 92 and replace the same with one having shorter tines 94 . when the substitute push member is thus installed , the second gauge arm 51 carried by moveable block 39 may be used in conjunction with fixed arm 47 to measure tag width and set the microswitch 120 accordingly . it can be appreciated from the above that the tag attaching machine according to the present invention is quickly and precisely adaptable to use with tags of widely varying widths . moreover , the adjustment is extremely simple and merely requires that the operator place the tag between the appropriate gauge members 47 and 49 or 47 and 51 and then merely rotate the crank 37 to conform to the tag dimension . this action automatically transpositions the microswitch 120 so as to establish the end point of travel of lever arm 70 whereupon the push member 92 will move the tag the precise distance necessary to bring the same into perfect alignment at the tag attaching station 30 . the apparatus according to the present invention further includes a tag thickness gauge . refering again to fig2 and 3 , the tag supply stack 36 is adapted to be placed against a retaining member 53 which is mounted such that its lower edge is spaced from the upper surface of the support plate formed by guides 31 and tines 94 of push member 92 so as to permit a tag of maximum intended thickness to pass therebetween . at the top of retaining member 53 , a perpendicular leg 55 extends toward the tag attaching station such that the retaining member 53 and attached leg 55 have a generally l - shaped section . a shutter 57 is mounted against the retaining member 53 by suitable means such as a screw 59 which extends through a slot in member 53 . a perpendicularly disposed leg 61 extends from the top edge of shutter 57 such that the shutter also has a generally l - shaped section . the dimensions of shutter 57 are such that the spacing between leg members 55 and 61 is precisely the same as the opening at the bottom of the shutter above the tag supporting plate formed by tines 94 and support members 31 . by placing a selected tag between members 55 and 61 , and , after loosening screw 59 , adjusting the shutter 57 accordingly , the shutter opening will be quickly and precisely set to permit only one tag to be withdrawn from the tag supply 36 and shifted to the tag attaching station 30 . on the opposite side of the tag supply stack 36 from retaining member 53 is a second retaining member 63 . this member may be moved to the left and to the right so as to accommodate tags of different widths and maintain the same in a neat stack . a weight 65 is attached , preferably with some degree of freedom to the bottom end of a rod 67 which is loosely held in an elongated slot 69 in a holding member 71 . a handle 73 is attached to the top of rod 67 so that the rod and weight may be picked up and moved and then replaced atop a stack of tags 36 to maintain the same in proper alignment . the tag supply 36 is also provided with a tag retention member 75 in the form of a generally flat strip of material having its top end bent over to form a finger grip portion 77 and having an ear 79 attached to wall member 63 by any suitable means such as screw 81 . member 75 may be positioned to accommodate tags of varying depths and effectively prevents the tag supply from inadvertent dislodgment . a metal tube 83 has an opening 85 shaped to form a nozzle . the tube 83 is held in position by an appropriate block 87 and is adapted to be connected to compressor 32 so as to feed a stream of air against the needle 132 . the stream of air eminating from nozzle 85 clears the severed loose ends of the thread after each tag attaching sequence and blows the remaining tag end to the right , as visualized in fig2 and 3 , so as to place the thread end in the proper position for pick up during the next tag attaching sequence . referring to fig8 and 10 , fig8 shows the positioning of the various elements at or near the tag attaching station 30 just prior to the first tag attaching operation . at this time , a single tag has been moved from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 and is sitting between the upper surface of the support plate and a guard plate 89 . an article to which a tag is to be attached is positioned over the presser block 128 , as shown . the operator then commences the tag attaching sequence by engaging switch 48 ( fig1 ). this begins the entire sequence and initially causes the needle 132 to move down . the needle will continue to travel down through the hole in the tag and through article until it reaches the lowest position of travel . at this point , a pick up mechanism 91 is operated to grasp the end of the thread at the lower end of the needle under the article . at this same time , the presser foot 116 will have pressed the article against presser block 128 to hold it securely in place . as the needle 132 begins to move back in the upward direction , the pick up mechanism will also move the end of the thread up above the guard plate 89 as shown in fig9 . depending upon the duration of the down position of the presser foot 116 , the length of the loop thus formed , as depicted in fig9 will vary . as will be described more fully herein below , the presser foot down duration is controlled by the microprocessor 38 , and a timing network included therein may be adjusted to select any desired loop diameter . at the conclusion of the tag attaching sequence , the article is pulled from the tag attaching station whereupon the knotting mechanism ( not shown ) completes its function and the next article may be then moved into position . referring now to fig1 the operation of the present invention through the control of microprocessor circuitry 38 will be explained in detail . the microprocessor circuitry 38 is connected to a source of power designated generally as power supply 100 . the power derived from supply 100 is utilized by the microprocessor to selectively operate the other elements of the invention . control of the microprocessor circuitry 38 is achieved through a plurality of switches connected to its inputs . as discussed above , a control panel 40 includes a two - position switch 42 which turns the microprocessor on and off , a push button switch 44 to cause movement of the transport mechanism without actual attachment of the tag , and a two - position switch 46 to operate the microprocessor in either mutual or automatic modes . in the manual mode , a first operation of switch 46 followed by operation of a command switch 48 causes movement and attachment of a single tag , whereas in automatic mode successive operations of the tag attaching mechanism result from a single operation of the command switch 48 . the motor 24 receives power from the microprocessor via line 102 . the gear 28 is engaged to be driven by the motor 24 upon operation of a clutch 26 contolled by the microprocessor via line 104 . a limit switch 29 detects the position of gear 28 and directs this information to the microprocessor via line 106 . the transport mechanism 34 operated via cylinder 80 is controlled through a solenoid valve 82 connected to the microprocessor via line 108 , to the cylinder 80 by outlets 84 and 86 to control respectively extending and retracting piston 90 , and to a pneumatic compressor 32 . power to the pneumatic compressor 32 is controlled by the microprocessor via line 112 . a microswitch 120 which detects the position of the tag feeder arm 70 transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . the microprocessor also controls a presser foot 116 by means of a solenoid valve 118 connected to line 121 , to extending outlet 122 and retracting outlet 124 of air cylinder 126 , and to the pneumatic compressor 32 . in operation , the presser foot 116 is extended to retain the material against presser block 128 directly below the attaching station 30 during movement of the attaching mechanism 130 including needle 132 and thread 134 . to perform a single tag attaching operation , switch 42 is first moved to its &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position , thereby causing power to be applied to the motor 24 and the pneumatic compressor 32 . switch 46 is placed in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position and switch 44 is operated once . in response , microprocessor circuitry 38 institutes movement of the transport mechanism 34 by operating the solenoid valve 82 via line 108 thereby directing air from the pneumatic compressor 32 into extending outlet 84 which causes a tag to be moved from the stack of tags 36 towards the tag attaching station 30 . when the selected tag has been completely moved into place in the tag attaching station 30 , microswitch 120 is engaged by the tag feeder arm 70 and transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . upon receipt of this signal the microprocessor disables solenoid valve 82 which causes air from the compressor 32 to be directed to retracting outlet 86 so that the piston 90 retracts into the cylinder 80 and the transport mechanism 34 moves back to its initial position . by operating switch 44 once , the resulting movement of tag mechanism 34 causes a selected tag to be moved to the tag attaching station 30 . at this time , the alignment of the tag can be verified and any needed changes in the tag gauges can be made . if attachment of the selected tag to the garment is desired , operation is continued by placing a garment on presser block 128 and pressing the command switch 48 one time . in response , the microprocessor simultaneously institutes movement of the presser foot 116 and the attaching mechanism 130 . a signal on line 120 causes the solenoid valve 118 to direct air from the compressor 32 to the extending outlet 122 of the presser foot cylinder 126 , thereby driving the presser foot 116 against the presser block 128 to hold the garment in place . after a predetermined albeit adjustable time , solenoid valve 118 is switched off thereby directing air into retracting outlet 124 so the presser foot 116 lifts off of presser block 128 . meanwhile , the attaching mechanism 130 is activated by controlling the clutch 26 so that cam gear 28 engages the motor 24 . the needle 132 and thread 134 of the attaching mechanism pass through the selected tag and garment in the manner described hereinabove . as the attaching mechanism draws the thread around the presser foot 116 a loop is formed and subsequently tied by further operation of the attaching mechanism . thus , the length of the resulting loop is dependent upon the distance between the actuating mechanism 130 and the presser foot at the moment the thread is tied . therefore , the length of time the presser foot 116 is extended is directly related to the length of the resulting loop : if the presser foot is retracted early , the distance is small when the thread is tied whereas keeping the presser foot down causes a greater distance and hence a longer loop at the moment of tying . the length of time the presser foot is extended is controlled by an adjustable delay circuit 136 located in the microprocessor . continued movement of the attaching mechanism 130 via the gear 28 and the motor 24 results in completed attachment of the selected tag by means of needle 122 containing thread 124 . at the time when the selected tag has been properly attached , position - indicating means 138 located on gear 28 , such as a notch 138 , causes operation of the limit switch 29 . this information is received by the microprocessor on line 106 which , in response thereto , directs operation of the clutch 26 so as to disengage the gear 28 from the motor 24 . there is , however , sufficient momentum left in gear 28 to cause continued movement of the position - indicating notch 138 of the gear past the limit switch 29 so that the limit switch 29 is no longer engaged . at this point , the tag attaching procudure has completed one full cycle and the garment with tag can be removed thereby simultaneously cutting the tied thread free . the signal generated by engagement of the limit switch 29 is used for a second function by the microprocessor , however , to prepare for another tag - attaching operation . in addition to disengaging the clutch 26 , the microprocessor in response to operation of the limit switch causes the transport mechanism 34 to deposit another tag in the attaching station 30 per the steps set forth herein above . the last step of each attaching cycle , therefore , is to deposit another tag in the attaching station so as to be ready for a second operation of the command switch 48 . an adjustable delay circuitry 140 is included in the microprocessor connected to line 108 leading to the transport mechanism solenoid valve 82 to vary the interval between completion of tag attachment by attaching means 130 and the delivery of another tag in the manner described immediately above . this allows an operator sufficient time to remove the previous garment and tag from the attaching station 30 and presser block 128 so as to avoid jamming the device by delivering a new tag before removal is completed . the interval is adjustable to provide for varying degrees of skill among operators of the machine . successive operations of the command switch 48 while switch 46 is in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; setting causes the foregoing sequences to be repeated each time in response thereto . if the switch 46 is moved to &# 34 ; automatic &# 34 ; position and the command switch 48 is then operated , the foregoing events occur as described above with the additional step that operation of the limit switch 29 by gear 28 also causes the microprocessor to initiate another cycle of the attaching means , presser foot and transport mechanism upon completion of the prior cycle . in this manner , successive attachments of the tags occur automatically in response to a single operation of the command switch 48 , until switch 46 is moved back to &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position thereby completing the current cycle and then stopping . an adjustable delay circuit 142 included in the microprocessor may be used to control the interval of time between successive cycles of tag attaching when operating in the automatic mode . it may be appreciated that many different devices may be used to implement the circuitry and control mechanisms described hereinabove . for example , the clutch 26 engaging gear 28 may be a magnetic - type clutch , a pneumatic or hydraulic clutch , or a fully electronic braking system . similarly , the devices used to operate the transport mechanism 34 and the presser foot 116 may comprise pneumatic devices as discussed above or , alternately , bi - directional electric motors , hydraulic devices or any other suitable mechanisms . the microprocessor circuitry 38 may be designed in a variety of ways so as to accomplish the particular operating functions discussed hereinabove . a preferred embodiment of the microprocessor is illustrated in fig1 , wherein the reference characters correspond to those used in fig1 . the preferred embodiment comprises a known dc power supply 200 connected through the on / off switch 42 to the power source 100 to develop an internal voltage and ground . a reset pulse icl is developed by circuitry 202 connected to the power supply 200 . the pulse icl is characterized by the generation of a slowly increasing voltage waveform upon turning switch 42 on and is used to effect automatic reset and initialization of the other microprocessor circuitry . the command switch is connected to the input of a nand gate 204 having an output connected to an input of and gate 206 . the output of and gate 206 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 208 and to the set input of a latch 210 comprising nand gates . the output of the shaping circuit 208 is also connected to the monostable multivibrator 136 adjustable via resistor 210 . the pulse produced by the multivibrator 136 is connected to a driving circuit 212 for a relay 214 controlling the presser foot solenoid valve 118 . the output of the latch 210 is connected to another driving circuit 216 for a relay 218 controlling the cam gear clutch 26 . the input of the shaping circuit is connected to the limit switch 29 of the cam gear 28 . one reset input of the latch 210 is connected to master reset icl , and a second to the input of the monostable multivibrator 140 adjustable via resistor 222 . the output of multivibrator 140 is connected to a positive waveform pulse shaping circuit 224 , having an output connected to a set input of latch 226 . the latch 226 is connected to a driving circuit 228 for control of the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 through triac 230 . the microswitch 120 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 232 which has an output connected to the reset inputs of latch 226 and latch 234 . another reset input of latch 234 is connected to master reset icl , a set input to shaping circuit 208 , and the inverted output of the latch 234 to an input of nand gate 204 and nand gate 236 . this latter gate has another input connected to switch 44 and its output connected to the latch 226 . the output of shaping circuit 224 is also connected to a monostable multivibrator 142 adjustable via resistor 238 . the output of the multivibrator is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 240 , having an output connected to the reset input of a latch 242 and an inverted output connected to a nand gate 244 . the switch 46 is connected to the set input of latch 242 , the output of the latch is connected to the other input of nand gate 244 , having its output connected to the input of and gate 206 . the operation of the circuit of fig1 will now be described to illustrate the sequence of operations occuring during attachment of a tag . as discussed above , the first step is operating switch 44 which causes latch 226 to be set and the feeder arm solenold valve 82 to be operated via driving circuit 228 and triac 230 . the feeder mechanism advances a selected tag towards the attaching station until it is in place and microswitch 120 is engaged , resulting in resetting latch 226 and turning off solenoid valve 82 thereby causing the feeder mechanism to return . a tag is now properly in place in the attaching station . the next step is to operate command switch 48 which simultaneously turns on the presser foot solenoid valve 118 via shaping circuit 208 , multivibrator 136 , driving circuit 212 and relay 214 , and turning on the cam gear clutch 29 via latch 210 , driving circuit 216 and relay 218 . thus , the presser foot engages the garment and the attaching mechanism begins operation meanwhile , latch 234 has been set , thereby temporarily blocking via gate 204 any further operation from pressing command switch 48 . the duration of operation of the presser foot solenoid valve 118 is controlled by multivibrator 136 . as discussed above , this has a direct effect upon the length of thread loop attaching the selected tag to the garment . when the multivibrator 136 times out , the presser foot is released . since the cam gear solenoid 26 is still being operated , the attaching mechanism completes its cycle of operation thereby attaching the tag . when the cycle is completed and limit switch 29 is momentarily engaged , the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 is again operated via the chain comprising the shaping circuit 220 , multivibrator 140 , shaping circuit 224 , driving circuit 228 and relay 230 . the feeder mechanism operates until a tag is deposited in the attaching station , microswitch 120 is engaged and the feeder mechanism is returned as described hereinabove . the latch 234 is also reset by engagement of the microswitch 120 so the system is prepared for another attaching cycle . in the above - described sequence , the multivibrator 140 is adjusted to delay the interval between completion of the attaching mechanism and a new operation of the feeder mechanism . if manual operation has been selected , the above sequence constitutes a finished cycle since gate 206 is blocked until another pulse is received from the command switch . if automatic operation is selected by engaging switch 46 and setting latch 242 , however , the pulse causing operation of the feeder mechanism as a result of triggering of the limit switch 29 also causes multivibrator 142 to produce a pulse which is used to repeat the entire attaching cycle via shaping circuit 240 , gates 244 and 206 . the multivibrator 142 is adjustable to control the interval between successive attaching cycles . thus , successive operations of the command switch 48 are not needed to initiate an attaching cycle when the automatic mode has been selected . disengaging switch 46 causes gate 206 to be blocked again , thereby switching to manual operation and halting the operation sequence at the conclusion of the last attaching cycle . it may be appreciated from the foregoing that many other circuit designs can be incorporated in the microprocessor to produce the desired functions and the disclosed embodiment is intended to be illustrative of just one possible design . for example , the circuitry can be replaced or altered to include transistors or operational amplifiers . alternately , the microprocessor may be incorporated in a single integrated circuit of an appropriate design to produce the desired operation . inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations , modifications and changes in detail , it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . | Is 'Textiles; Paper' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | 9d8123359446011bcbc860702f05aebea97704165a773239c7d2e84d11de9f01 | 0.002808 | 0.010315 | 0.000504 | 0.002884 | 0.019409 | 0.061768 |
null | the present invention is embodied in a tag attaching machine shown in perspective view in fig1 and identified generally by the number 20 . the tag attaching machine 20 includes a main frame member or base 22 on which is mounted a motor 24 which is coupled through a solenoid actuated clutch mechanism 26 to a main drive gear 28 which in turn is coupled to the tag attaching mechanism at a tag attaching station identified generally with the numeral 30 . the main frame member 22 also supports a pneumatic compressor 32 which provides a source of air , under slight pressure , for actuating various pneumatically controlled mechanisms as will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow . the tag attaching machine 20 also includes a transport mechanism , indicated generally at 34 for moving individual tags from a tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 . the tag transport mechanism 34 , the clutch and gear assembly 26 , 28 , and the mechanism at the tag attaching station 30 are all sequenced and controlled by a solid state microprocessor circuit indicated generally at 38 . for control of the tag attaching machine , several externally accessible switches are provided . disposed on a convenient control panel 40 above the transport assembly 34 is an on / off switch 42 controlling the supply of power to the overall machine . next to the on / off switch 42 is a pushbutton switch 44 which , as will be further described hereinbelow , causes the feed of a single tag from the tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 without initiating a tag attaching operation at the tag attaching station . a further two - position switch 46 is disposed next to pushbutton switch 44 and controls the programming of microprocessor 38 between a manual mode and an automatic mode . in the manual mode , the tag attaching machine 20 may be caused to feed a single tag and attach the same to a garment or article upon depression of a main operator control switch 48 . the actuation of switch 48 by the operator causes only a single operation to be performed when switch 46 is in the manual position . when the switch 46 is moved to its automatic position , the machine will repetitively and periodically continue to sequence through successive tag attaching operations thereby permitting the operator to automatically attach tags to garments or articles without having to separately actuate command switch 48 for each sequence . referring to fig2 and 4 , the tag feed mechanism 34 includes a main mounting member 50 attached to the main frame 22 . journaled for rotation about an upstanding pin 52 on member 50 is a transport actuating lever 70 . as can be appreciated from fig4 transport lever 70 is journaled at an intermediate point for rotation in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions about the axis of pin 52 . a first end 72 of arm 70 is pivotally attached to a piston 90 by an intermediate connecting element 74 . piston 90 is disposed within a conforming cylinder 80 which is connected by pneumatic lines to a solenoid operated pneumatic valve 82 via an extending outlet 84 and a retracting outlet 86 connected respectively at opposite ends of the cylinder 80 as shown . as will become clear below , the solenoid operated valve 82 , when at rest , supplies compressed air from compressor 32 through retracting outlet 86 to the end of cylinder 80 so as to cause the piston 90 to retract to the position shown in fig2 and 4 . the opposite end 76 of lever arm 70 is bifurcated to receive an upright post 78 carried upon a tuning fork - like tag push member 92 . the tag pusher member 92 has two tines 94 each provided at their distal ends with an offset shoulder 96 having a slightly downwardly inclined bottom surface 98 . pusher member 92 is disposed atop plate 50 between a pair of spaced , elongated channel guides 31 . the top surface of the channel guide members 31 is coplaner with the top surface of the tines 94 of pusher member 92 as can best be seen in the sectional view of fig7 . these members thus form a generally flat transport plate or surface so as to enable tags to be fed from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 whenever the pusher member 92 is rectilinearly shifted from the left to the right as visualized in fig4 under the driving force of the counter clockwise rotating lever arm 70 . turning to fig2 and 3 , a generally u - shaped frame member 33 is secured to the top of support plate 50 . rotatably disposed across frame 33 is a threaded rod 35 having a crank handle 37 attached at one end . an adjustable support block 39 is attached to a threaded nut 41 carried on the opposite end of rod 35 , as illustrated . the upper edge of block 39 is adapted to be received within a shallow groove or channel 43 in the lower surface of the cross portion of frame 33 so as to preclude the block 39 from rotation as crank handle 37 is turned . in this manner , turning of the crank handle causes linear transposition of the block 39 as can be appreciated from a comparison of fig2 and 3 . carried upon block 39 is a sensor , such as a microswitch 120 having an actuating roller 45 . the microswitch 120 is mounted on block 39 such that the roller 45 is in the path of rotary movement of lever arm 70 . as will be described in more detail herein below , the microswitch is actuated each time the lever arm 70 moves in a counter clockwise direction , as visualized in fig4 . thus , as the lever arm rotates from the rest position shown in fig2 through 4 to a tag feed position as shown in phantom lines in fig4 the microswitch will be actuated . mounted on the cross member of frame 33 is an upright pin or arm 47 . similarly , a pair of spaced upright arms 49 and 51 are attached to moveable block 39 . pin 47 , which is fixed with respect to frame 33 , cooperates with arms 49 and 51 to form a tag width gauge . as can be appreciated from fig2 and 3 , the tag width gauge may be easily used by merely positioning a single tag such that a prepunched hole therein is placed over pin 47 . with the tag thus in position , crank 37 is rotated to move arm 49 until it just engages the edge of the tag as shown in fig3 . since the movement of arm 49 on block 39 by turning crank 37 also causes a like movement of microswitch 120 , it can be appreciated that the end point of travel of lever 70 , which is determined by the microswitch 120 , will be adjusted each time as the tag width is measured . by coordinating the tag width gauge measurement with the positioning of the microswitch 120 on block 39 and with the distance between the tag supply stack 37 and the tag attaching station 30 , the tag pusher member 92 can be caused to move precisely the amount required to shift a tag from the stacked array to the tag attaching station by merely taking a representative tag and placing it in the width measurement gauge and adjusting crank 37 . since the tag width may vary over a considerable extent , it may be necessary in certain instances to remove tag push member 92 and replace the same with one having shorter tines 94 . when the substitute push member is thus installed , the second gauge arm 51 carried by moveable block 39 may be used in conjunction with fixed arm 47 to measure tag width and set the microswitch 120 accordingly . it can be appreciated from the above that the tag attaching machine according to the present invention is quickly and precisely adaptable to use with tags of widely varying widths . moreover , the adjustment is extremely simple and merely requires that the operator place the tag between the appropriate gauge members 47 and 49 or 47 and 51 and then merely rotate the crank 37 to conform to the tag dimension . this action automatically transpositions the microswitch 120 so as to establish the end point of travel of lever arm 70 whereupon the push member 92 will move the tag the precise distance necessary to bring the same into perfect alignment at the tag attaching station 30 . the apparatus according to the present invention further includes a tag thickness gauge . refering again to fig2 and 3 , the tag supply stack 36 is adapted to be placed against a retaining member 53 which is mounted such that its lower edge is spaced from the upper surface of the support plate formed by guides 31 and tines 94 of push member 92 so as to permit a tag of maximum intended thickness to pass therebetween . at the top of retaining member 53 , a perpendicular leg 55 extends toward the tag attaching station such that the retaining member 53 and attached leg 55 have a generally l - shaped section . a shutter 57 is mounted against the retaining member 53 by suitable means such as a screw 59 which extends through a slot in member 53 . a perpendicularly disposed leg 61 extends from the top edge of shutter 57 such that the shutter also has a generally l - shaped section . the dimensions of shutter 57 are such that the spacing between leg members 55 and 61 is precisely the same as the opening at the bottom of the shutter above the tag supporting plate formed by tines 94 and support members 31 . by placing a selected tag between members 55 and 61 , and , after loosening screw 59 , adjusting the shutter 57 accordingly , the shutter opening will be quickly and precisely set to permit only one tag to be withdrawn from the tag supply 36 and shifted to the tag attaching station 30 . on the opposite side of the tag supply stack 36 from retaining member 53 is a second retaining member 63 . this member may be moved to the left and to the right so as to accommodate tags of different widths and maintain the same in a neat stack . a weight 65 is attached , preferably with some degree of freedom to the bottom end of a rod 67 which is loosely held in an elongated slot 69 in a holding member 71 . a handle 73 is attached to the top of rod 67 so that the rod and weight may be picked up and moved and then replaced atop a stack of tags 36 to maintain the same in proper alignment . the tag supply 36 is also provided with a tag retention member 75 in the form of a generally flat strip of material having its top end bent over to form a finger grip portion 77 and having an ear 79 attached to wall member 63 by any suitable means such as screw 81 . member 75 may be positioned to accommodate tags of varying depths and effectively prevents the tag supply from inadvertent dislodgment . a metal tube 83 has an opening 85 shaped to form a nozzle . the tube 83 is held in position by an appropriate block 87 and is adapted to be connected to compressor 32 so as to feed a stream of air against the needle 132 . the stream of air eminating from nozzle 85 clears the severed loose ends of the thread after each tag attaching sequence and blows the remaining tag end to the right , as visualized in fig2 and 3 , so as to place the thread end in the proper position for pick up during the next tag attaching sequence . referring to fig8 and 10 , fig8 shows the positioning of the various elements at or near the tag attaching station 30 just prior to the first tag attaching operation . at this time , a single tag has been moved from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 and is sitting between the upper surface of the support plate and a guard plate 89 . an article to which a tag is to be attached is positioned over the presser block 128 , as shown . the operator then commences the tag attaching sequence by engaging switch 48 ( fig1 ). this begins the entire sequence and initially causes the needle 132 to move down . the needle will continue to travel down through the hole in the tag and through article until it reaches the lowest position of travel . at this point , a pick up mechanism 91 is operated to grasp the end of the thread at the lower end of the needle under the article . at this same time , the presser foot 116 will have pressed the article against presser block 128 to hold it securely in place . as the needle 132 begins to move back in the upward direction , the pick up mechanism will also move the end of the thread up above the guard plate 89 as shown in fig9 . depending upon the duration of the down position of the presser foot 116 , the length of the loop thus formed , as depicted in fig9 will vary . as will be described more fully herein below , the presser foot down duration is controlled by the microprocessor 38 , and a timing network included therein may be adjusted to select any desired loop diameter . at the conclusion of the tag attaching sequence , the article is pulled from the tag attaching station whereupon the knotting mechanism ( not shown ) completes its function and the next article may be then moved into position . referring now to fig1 the operation of the present invention through the control of microprocessor circuitry 38 will be explained in detail . the microprocessor circuitry 38 is connected to a source of power designated generally as power supply 100 . the power derived from supply 100 is utilized by the microprocessor to selectively operate the other elements of the invention . control of the microprocessor circuitry 38 is achieved through a plurality of switches connected to its inputs . as discussed above , a control panel 40 includes a two - position switch 42 which turns the microprocessor on and off , a push button switch 44 to cause movement of the transport mechanism without actual attachment of the tag , and a two - position switch 46 to operate the microprocessor in either mutual or automatic modes . in the manual mode , a first operation of switch 46 followed by operation of a command switch 48 causes movement and attachment of a single tag , whereas in automatic mode successive operations of the tag attaching mechanism result from a single operation of the command switch 48 . the motor 24 receives power from the microprocessor via line 102 . the gear 28 is engaged to be driven by the motor 24 upon operation of a clutch 26 contolled by the microprocessor via line 104 . a limit switch 29 detects the position of gear 28 and directs this information to the microprocessor via line 106 . the transport mechanism 34 operated via cylinder 80 is controlled through a solenoid valve 82 connected to the microprocessor via line 108 , to the cylinder 80 by outlets 84 and 86 to control respectively extending and retracting piston 90 , and to a pneumatic compressor 32 . power to the pneumatic compressor 32 is controlled by the microprocessor via line 112 . a microswitch 120 which detects the position of the tag feeder arm 70 transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . the microprocessor also controls a presser foot 116 by means of a solenoid valve 118 connected to line 121 , to extending outlet 122 and retracting outlet 124 of air cylinder 126 , and to the pneumatic compressor 32 . in operation , the presser foot 116 is extended to retain the material against presser block 128 directly below the attaching station 30 during movement of the attaching mechanism 130 including needle 132 and thread 134 . to perform a single tag attaching operation , switch 42 is first moved to its &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position , thereby causing power to be applied to the motor 24 and the pneumatic compressor 32 . switch 46 is placed in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position and switch 44 is operated once . in response , microprocessor circuitry 38 institutes movement of the transport mechanism 34 by operating the solenoid valve 82 via line 108 thereby directing air from the pneumatic compressor 32 into extending outlet 84 which causes a tag to be moved from the stack of tags 36 towards the tag attaching station 30 . when the selected tag has been completely moved into place in the tag attaching station 30 , microswitch 120 is engaged by the tag feeder arm 70 and transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . upon receipt of this signal the microprocessor disables solenoid valve 82 which causes air from the compressor 32 to be directed to retracting outlet 86 so that the piston 90 retracts into the cylinder 80 and the transport mechanism 34 moves back to its initial position . by operating switch 44 once , the resulting movement of tag mechanism 34 causes a selected tag to be moved to the tag attaching station 30 . at this time , the alignment of the tag can be verified and any needed changes in the tag gauges can be made . if attachment of the selected tag to the garment is desired , operation is continued by placing a garment on presser block 128 and pressing the command switch 48 one time . in response , the microprocessor simultaneously institutes movement of the presser foot 116 and the attaching mechanism 130 . a signal on line 120 causes the solenoid valve 118 to direct air from the compressor 32 to the extending outlet 122 of the presser foot cylinder 126 , thereby driving the presser foot 116 against the presser block 128 to hold the garment in place . after a predetermined albeit adjustable time , solenoid valve 118 is switched off thereby directing air into retracting outlet 124 so the presser foot 116 lifts off of presser block 128 . meanwhile , the attaching mechanism 130 is activated by controlling the clutch 26 so that cam gear 28 engages the motor 24 . the needle 132 and thread 134 of the attaching mechanism pass through the selected tag and garment in the manner described hereinabove . as the attaching mechanism draws the thread around the presser foot 116 a loop is formed and subsequently tied by further operation of the attaching mechanism . thus , the length of the resulting loop is dependent upon the distance between the actuating mechanism 130 and the presser foot at the moment the thread is tied . therefore , the length of time the presser foot 116 is extended is directly related to the length of the resulting loop : if the presser foot is retracted early , the distance is small when the thread is tied whereas keeping the presser foot down causes a greater distance and hence a longer loop at the moment of tying . the length of time the presser foot is extended is controlled by an adjustable delay circuit 136 located in the microprocessor . continued movement of the attaching mechanism 130 via the gear 28 and the motor 24 results in completed attachment of the selected tag by means of needle 122 containing thread 124 . at the time when the selected tag has been properly attached , position - indicating means 138 located on gear 28 , such as a notch 138 , causes operation of the limit switch 29 . this information is received by the microprocessor on line 106 which , in response thereto , directs operation of the clutch 26 so as to disengage the gear 28 from the motor 24 . there is , however , sufficient momentum left in gear 28 to cause continued movement of the position - indicating notch 138 of the gear past the limit switch 29 so that the limit switch 29 is no longer engaged . at this point , the tag attaching procudure has completed one full cycle and the garment with tag can be removed thereby simultaneously cutting the tied thread free . the signal generated by engagement of the limit switch 29 is used for a second function by the microprocessor , however , to prepare for another tag - attaching operation . in addition to disengaging the clutch 26 , the microprocessor in response to operation of the limit switch causes the transport mechanism 34 to deposit another tag in the attaching station 30 per the steps set forth herein above . the last step of each attaching cycle , therefore , is to deposit another tag in the attaching station so as to be ready for a second operation of the command switch 48 . an adjustable delay circuitry 140 is included in the microprocessor connected to line 108 leading to the transport mechanism solenoid valve 82 to vary the interval between completion of tag attachment by attaching means 130 and the delivery of another tag in the manner described immediately above . this allows an operator sufficient time to remove the previous garment and tag from the attaching station 30 and presser block 128 so as to avoid jamming the device by delivering a new tag before removal is completed . the interval is adjustable to provide for varying degrees of skill among operators of the machine . successive operations of the command switch 48 while switch 46 is in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; setting causes the foregoing sequences to be repeated each time in response thereto . if the switch 46 is moved to &# 34 ; automatic &# 34 ; position and the command switch 48 is then operated , the foregoing events occur as described above with the additional step that operation of the limit switch 29 by gear 28 also causes the microprocessor to initiate another cycle of the attaching means , presser foot and transport mechanism upon completion of the prior cycle . in this manner , successive attachments of the tags occur automatically in response to a single operation of the command switch 48 , until switch 46 is moved back to &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position thereby completing the current cycle and then stopping . an adjustable delay circuit 142 included in the microprocessor may be used to control the interval of time between successive cycles of tag attaching when operating in the automatic mode . it may be appreciated that many different devices may be used to implement the circuitry and control mechanisms described hereinabove . for example , the clutch 26 engaging gear 28 may be a magnetic - type clutch , a pneumatic or hydraulic clutch , or a fully electronic braking system . similarly , the devices used to operate the transport mechanism 34 and the presser foot 116 may comprise pneumatic devices as discussed above or , alternately , bi - directional electric motors , hydraulic devices or any other suitable mechanisms . the microprocessor circuitry 38 may be designed in a variety of ways so as to accomplish the particular operating functions discussed hereinabove . a preferred embodiment of the microprocessor is illustrated in fig1 , wherein the reference characters correspond to those used in fig1 . the preferred embodiment comprises a known dc power supply 200 connected through the on / off switch 42 to the power source 100 to develop an internal voltage and ground . a reset pulse icl is developed by circuitry 202 connected to the power supply 200 . the pulse icl is characterized by the generation of a slowly increasing voltage waveform upon turning switch 42 on and is used to effect automatic reset and initialization of the other microprocessor circuitry . the command switch is connected to the input of a nand gate 204 having an output connected to an input of and gate 206 . the output of and gate 206 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 208 and to the set input of a latch 210 comprising nand gates . the output of the shaping circuit 208 is also connected to the monostable multivibrator 136 adjustable via resistor 210 . the pulse produced by the multivibrator 136 is connected to a driving circuit 212 for a relay 214 controlling the presser foot solenoid valve 118 . the output of the latch 210 is connected to another driving circuit 216 for a relay 218 controlling the cam gear clutch 26 . the input of the shaping circuit is connected to the limit switch 29 of the cam gear 28 . one reset input of the latch 210 is connected to master reset icl , and a second to the input of the monostable multivibrator 140 adjustable via resistor 222 . the output of multivibrator 140 is connected to a positive waveform pulse shaping circuit 224 , having an output connected to a set input of latch 226 . the latch 226 is connected to a driving circuit 228 for control of the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 through triac 230 . the microswitch 120 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 232 which has an output connected to the reset inputs of latch 226 and latch 234 . another reset input of latch 234 is connected to master reset icl , a set input to shaping circuit 208 , and the inverted output of the latch 234 to an input of nand gate 204 and nand gate 236 . this latter gate has another input connected to switch 44 and its output connected to the latch 226 . the output of shaping circuit 224 is also connected to a monostable multivibrator 142 adjustable via resistor 238 . the output of the multivibrator is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 240 , having an output connected to the reset input of a latch 242 and an inverted output connected to a nand gate 244 . the switch 46 is connected to the set input of latch 242 , the output of the latch is connected to the other input of nand gate 244 , having its output connected to the input of and gate 206 . the operation of the circuit of fig1 will now be described to illustrate the sequence of operations occuring during attachment of a tag . as discussed above , the first step is operating switch 44 which causes latch 226 to be set and the feeder arm solenold valve 82 to be operated via driving circuit 228 and triac 230 . the feeder mechanism advances a selected tag towards the attaching station until it is in place and microswitch 120 is engaged , resulting in resetting latch 226 and turning off solenoid valve 82 thereby causing the feeder mechanism to return . a tag is now properly in place in the attaching station . the next step is to operate command switch 48 which simultaneously turns on the presser foot solenoid valve 118 via shaping circuit 208 , multivibrator 136 , driving circuit 212 and relay 214 , and turning on the cam gear clutch 29 via latch 210 , driving circuit 216 and relay 218 . thus , the presser foot engages the garment and the attaching mechanism begins operation meanwhile , latch 234 has been set , thereby temporarily blocking via gate 204 any further operation from pressing command switch 48 . the duration of operation of the presser foot solenoid valve 118 is controlled by multivibrator 136 . as discussed above , this has a direct effect upon the length of thread loop attaching the selected tag to the garment . when the multivibrator 136 times out , the presser foot is released . since the cam gear solenoid 26 is still being operated , the attaching mechanism completes its cycle of operation thereby attaching the tag . when the cycle is completed and limit switch 29 is momentarily engaged , the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 is again operated via the chain comprising the shaping circuit 220 , multivibrator 140 , shaping circuit 224 , driving circuit 228 and relay 230 . the feeder mechanism operates until a tag is deposited in the attaching station , microswitch 120 is engaged and the feeder mechanism is returned as described hereinabove . the latch 234 is also reset by engagement of the microswitch 120 so the system is prepared for another attaching cycle . in the above - described sequence , the multivibrator 140 is adjusted to delay the interval between completion of the attaching mechanism and a new operation of the feeder mechanism . if manual operation has been selected , the above sequence constitutes a finished cycle since gate 206 is blocked until another pulse is received from the command switch . if automatic operation is selected by engaging switch 46 and setting latch 242 , however , the pulse causing operation of the feeder mechanism as a result of triggering of the limit switch 29 also causes multivibrator 142 to produce a pulse which is used to repeat the entire attaching cycle via shaping circuit 240 , gates 244 and 206 . the multivibrator 142 is adjustable to control the interval between successive attaching cycles . thus , successive operations of the command switch 48 are not needed to initiate an attaching cycle when the automatic mode has been selected . disengaging switch 46 causes gate 206 to be blocked again , thereby switching to manual operation and halting the operation sequence at the conclusion of the last attaching cycle . it may be appreciated from the foregoing that many other circuit designs can be incorporated in the microprocessor to produce the desired functions and the disclosed embodiment is intended to be illustrative of just one possible design . for example , the circuitry can be replaced or altered to include transistors or operational amplifiers . alternately , the microprocessor may be incorporated in a single integrated circuit of an appropriate design to produce the desired operation . inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations , modifications and changes in detail , it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Textiles; Paper'? | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 9d8123359446011bcbc860702f05aebea97704165a773239c7d2e84d11de9f01 | 0.005219 | 0.07373 | 0.000315 | 0.018311 | 0.014038 | 0.06543 |
null | the present invention is embodied in a tag attaching machine shown in perspective view in fig1 and identified generally by the number 20 . the tag attaching machine 20 includes a main frame member or base 22 on which is mounted a motor 24 which is coupled through a solenoid actuated clutch mechanism 26 to a main drive gear 28 which in turn is coupled to the tag attaching mechanism at a tag attaching station identified generally with the numeral 30 . the main frame member 22 also supports a pneumatic compressor 32 which provides a source of air , under slight pressure , for actuating various pneumatically controlled mechanisms as will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow . the tag attaching machine 20 also includes a transport mechanism , indicated generally at 34 for moving individual tags from a tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 . the tag transport mechanism 34 , the clutch and gear assembly 26 , 28 , and the mechanism at the tag attaching station 30 are all sequenced and controlled by a solid state microprocessor circuit indicated generally at 38 . for control of the tag attaching machine , several externally accessible switches are provided . disposed on a convenient control panel 40 above the transport assembly 34 is an on / off switch 42 controlling the supply of power to the overall machine . next to the on / off switch 42 is a pushbutton switch 44 which , as will be further described hereinbelow , causes the feed of a single tag from the tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 without initiating a tag attaching operation at the tag attaching station . a further two - position switch 46 is disposed next to pushbutton switch 44 and controls the programming of microprocessor 38 between a manual mode and an automatic mode . in the manual mode , the tag attaching machine 20 may be caused to feed a single tag and attach the same to a garment or article upon depression of a main operator control switch 48 . the actuation of switch 48 by the operator causes only a single operation to be performed when switch 46 is in the manual position . when the switch 46 is moved to its automatic position , the machine will repetitively and periodically continue to sequence through successive tag attaching operations thereby permitting the operator to automatically attach tags to garments or articles without having to separately actuate command switch 48 for each sequence . referring to fig2 and 4 , the tag feed mechanism 34 includes a main mounting member 50 attached to the main frame 22 . journaled for rotation about an upstanding pin 52 on member 50 is a transport actuating lever 70 . as can be appreciated from fig4 transport lever 70 is journaled at an intermediate point for rotation in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions about the axis of pin 52 . a first end 72 of arm 70 is pivotally attached to a piston 90 by an intermediate connecting element 74 . piston 90 is disposed within a conforming cylinder 80 which is connected by pneumatic lines to a solenoid operated pneumatic valve 82 via an extending outlet 84 and a retracting outlet 86 connected respectively at opposite ends of the cylinder 80 as shown . as will become clear below , the solenoid operated valve 82 , when at rest , supplies compressed air from compressor 32 through retracting outlet 86 to the end of cylinder 80 so as to cause the piston 90 to retract to the position shown in fig2 and 4 . the opposite end 76 of lever arm 70 is bifurcated to receive an upright post 78 carried upon a tuning fork - like tag push member 92 . the tag pusher member 92 has two tines 94 each provided at their distal ends with an offset shoulder 96 having a slightly downwardly inclined bottom surface 98 . pusher member 92 is disposed atop plate 50 between a pair of spaced , elongated channel guides 31 . the top surface of the channel guide members 31 is coplaner with the top surface of the tines 94 of pusher member 92 as can best be seen in the sectional view of fig7 . these members thus form a generally flat transport plate or surface so as to enable tags to be fed from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 whenever the pusher member 92 is rectilinearly shifted from the left to the right as visualized in fig4 under the driving force of the counter clockwise rotating lever arm 70 . turning to fig2 and 3 , a generally u - shaped frame member 33 is secured to the top of support plate 50 . rotatably disposed across frame 33 is a threaded rod 35 having a crank handle 37 attached at one end . an adjustable support block 39 is attached to a threaded nut 41 carried on the opposite end of rod 35 , as illustrated . the upper edge of block 39 is adapted to be received within a shallow groove or channel 43 in the lower surface of the cross portion of frame 33 so as to preclude the block 39 from rotation as crank handle 37 is turned . in this manner , turning of the crank handle causes linear transposition of the block 39 as can be appreciated from a comparison of fig2 and 3 . carried upon block 39 is a sensor , such as a microswitch 120 having an actuating roller 45 . the microswitch 120 is mounted on block 39 such that the roller 45 is in the path of rotary movement of lever arm 70 . as will be described in more detail herein below , the microswitch is actuated each time the lever arm 70 moves in a counter clockwise direction , as visualized in fig4 . thus , as the lever arm rotates from the rest position shown in fig2 through 4 to a tag feed position as shown in phantom lines in fig4 the microswitch will be actuated . mounted on the cross member of frame 33 is an upright pin or arm 47 . similarly , a pair of spaced upright arms 49 and 51 are attached to moveable block 39 . pin 47 , which is fixed with respect to frame 33 , cooperates with arms 49 and 51 to form a tag width gauge . as can be appreciated from fig2 and 3 , the tag width gauge may be easily used by merely positioning a single tag such that a prepunched hole therein is placed over pin 47 . with the tag thus in position , crank 37 is rotated to move arm 49 until it just engages the edge of the tag as shown in fig3 . since the movement of arm 49 on block 39 by turning crank 37 also causes a like movement of microswitch 120 , it can be appreciated that the end point of travel of lever 70 , which is determined by the microswitch 120 , will be adjusted each time as the tag width is measured . by coordinating the tag width gauge measurement with the positioning of the microswitch 120 on block 39 and with the distance between the tag supply stack 37 and the tag attaching station 30 , the tag pusher member 92 can be caused to move precisely the amount required to shift a tag from the stacked array to the tag attaching station by merely taking a representative tag and placing it in the width measurement gauge and adjusting crank 37 . since the tag width may vary over a considerable extent , it may be necessary in certain instances to remove tag push member 92 and replace the same with one having shorter tines 94 . when the substitute push member is thus installed , the second gauge arm 51 carried by moveable block 39 may be used in conjunction with fixed arm 47 to measure tag width and set the microswitch 120 accordingly . it can be appreciated from the above that the tag attaching machine according to the present invention is quickly and precisely adaptable to use with tags of widely varying widths . moreover , the adjustment is extremely simple and merely requires that the operator place the tag between the appropriate gauge members 47 and 49 or 47 and 51 and then merely rotate the crank 37 to conform to the tag dimension . this action automatically transpositions the microswitch 120 so as to establish the end point of travel of lever arm 70 whereupon the push member 92 will move the tag the precise distance necessary to bring the same into perfect alignment at the tag attaching station 30 . the apparatus according to the present invention further includes a tag thickness gauge . refering again to fig2 and 3 , the tag supply stack 36 is adapted to be placed against a retaining member 53 which is mounted such that its lower edge is spaced from the upper surface of the support plate formed by guides 31 and tines 94 of push member 92 so as to permit a tag of maximum intended thickness to pass therebetween . at the top of retaining member 53 , a perpendicular leg 55 extends toward the tag attaching station such that the retaining member 53 and attached leg 55 have a generally l - shaped section . a shutter 57 is mounted against the retaining member 53 by suitable means such as a screw 59 which extends through a slot in member 53 . a perpendicularly disposed leg 61 extends from the top edge of shutter 57 such that the shutter also has a generally l - shaped section . the dimensions of shutter 57 are such that the spacing between leg members 55 and 61 is precisely the same as the opening at the bottom of the shutter above the tag supporting plate formed by tines 94 and support members 31 . by placing a selected tag between members 55 and 61 , and , after loosening screw 59 , adjusting the shutter 57 accordingly , the shutter opening will be quickly and precisely set to permit only one tag to be withdrawn from the tag supply 36 and shifted to the tag attaching station 30 . on the opposite side of the tag supply stack 36 from retaining member 53 is a second retaining member 63 . this member may be moved to the left and to the right so as to accommodate tags of different widths and maintain the same in a neat stack . a weight 65 is attached , preferably with some degree of freedom to the bottom end of a rod 67 which is loosely held in an elongated slot 69 in a holding member 71 . a handle 73 is attached to the top of rod 67 so that the rod and weight may be picked up and moved and then replaced atop a stack of tags 36 to maintain the same in proper alignment . the tag supply 36 is also provided with a tag retention member 75 in the form of a generally flat strip of material having its top end bent over to form a finger grip portion 77 and having an ear 79 attached to wall member 63 by any suitable means such as screw 81 . member 75 may be positioned to accommodate tags of varying depths and effectively prevents the tag supply from inadvertent dislodgment . a metal tube 83 has an opening 85 shaped to form a nozzle . the tube 83 is held in position by an appropriate block 87 and is adapted to be connected to compressor 32 so as to feed a stream of air against the needle 132 . the stream of air eminating from nozzle 85 clears the severed loose ends of the thread after each tag attaching sequence and blows the remaining tag end to the right , as visualized in fig2 and 3 , so as to place the thread end in the proper position for pick up during the next tag attaching sequence . referring to fig8 and 10 , fig8 shows the positioning of the various elements at or near the tag attaching station 30 just prior to the first tag attaching operation . at this time , a single tag has been moved from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 and is sitting between the upper surface of the support plate and a guard plate 89 . an article to which a tag is to be attached is positioned over the presser block 128 , as shown . the operator then commences the tag attaching sequence by engaging switch 48 ( fig1 ). this begins the entire sequence and initially causes the needle 132 to move down . the needle will continue to travel down through the hole in the tag and through article until it reaches the lowest position of travel . at this point , a pick up mechanism 91 is operated to grasp the end of the thread at the lower end of the needle under the article . at this same time , the presser foot 116 will have pressed the article against presser block 128 to hold it securely in place . as the needle 132 begins to move back in the upward direction , the pick up mechanism will also move the end of the thread up above the guard plate 89 as shown in fig9 . depending upon the duration of the down position of the presser foot 116 , the length of the loop thus formed , as depicted in fig9 will vary . as will be described more fully herein below , the presser foot down duration is controlled by the microprocessor 38 , and a timing network included therein may be adjusted to select any desired loop diameter . at the conclusion of the tag attaching sequence , the article is pulled from the tag attaching station whereupon the knotting mechanism ( not shown ) completes its function and the next article may be then moved into position . referring now to fig1 the operation of the present invention through the control of microprocessor circuitry 38 will be explained in detail . the microprocessor circuitry 38 is connected to a source of power designated generally as power supply 100 . the power derived from supply 100 is utilized by the microprocessor to selectively operate the other elements of the invention . control of the microprocessor circuitry 38 is achieved through a plurality of switches connected to its inputs . as discussed above , a control panel 40 includes a two - position switch 42 which turns the microprocessor on and off , a push button switch 44 to cause movement of the transport mechanism without actual attachment of the tag , and a two - position switch 46 to operate the microprocessor in either mutual or automatic modes . in the manual mode , a first operation of switch 46 followed by operation of a command switch 48 causes movement and attachment of a single tag , whereas in automatic mode successive operations of the tag attaching mechanism result from a single operation of the command switch 48 . the motor 24 receives power from the microprocessor via line 102 . the gear 28 is engaged to be driven by the motor 24 upon operation of a clutch 26 contolled by the microprocessor via line 104 . a limit switch 29 detects the position of gear 28 and directs this information to the microprocessor via line 106 . the transport mechanism 34 operated via cylinder 80 is controlled through a solenoid valve 82 connected to the microprocessor via line 108 , to the cylinder 80 by outlets 84 and 86 to control respectively extending and retracting piston 90 , and to a pneumatic compressor 32 . power to the pneumatic compressor 32 is controlled by the microprocessor via line 112 . a microswitch 120 which detects the position of the tag feeder arm 70 transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . the microprocessor also controls a presser foot 116 by means of a solenoid valve 118 connected to line 121 , to extending outlet 122 and retracting outlet 124 of air cylinder 126 , and to the pneumatic compressor 32 . in operation , the presser foot 116 is extended to retain the material against presser block 128 directly below the attaching station 30 during movement of the attaching mechanism 130 including needle 132 and thread 134 . to perform a single tag attaching operation , switch 42 is first moved to its &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position , thereby causing power to be applied to the motor 24 and the pneumatic compressor 32 . switch 46 is placed in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position and switch 44 is operated once . in response , microprocessor circuitry 38 institutes movement of the transport mechanism 34 by operating the solenoid valve 82 via line 108 thereby directing air from the pneumatic compressor 32 into extending outlet 84 which causes a tag to be moved from the stack of tags 36 towards the tag attaching station 30 . when the selected tag has been completely moved into place in the tag attaching station 30 , microswitch 120 is engaged by the tag feeder arm 70 and transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . upon receipt of this signal the microprocessor disables solenoid valve 82 which causes air from the compressor 32 to be directed to retracting outlet 86 so that the piston 90 retracts into the cylinder 80 and the transport mechanism 34 moves back to its initial position . by operating switch 44 once , the resulting movement of tag mechanism 34 causes a selected tag to be moved to the tag attaching station 30 . at this time , the alignment of the tag can be verified and any needed changes in the tag gauges can be made . if attachment of the selected tag to the garment is desired , operation is continued by placing a garment on presser block 128 and pressing the command switch 48 one time . in response , the microprocessor simultaneously institutes movement of the presser foot 116 and the attaching mechanism 130 . a signal on line 120 causes the solenoid valve 118 to direct air from the compressor 32 to the extending outlet 122 of the presser foot cylinder 126 , thereby driving the presser foot 116 against the presser block 128 to hold the garment in place . after a predetermined albeit adjustable time , solenoid valve 118 is switched off thereby directing air into retracting outlet 124 so the presser foot 116 lifts off of presser block 128 . meanwhile , the attaching mechanism 130 is activated by controlling the clutch 26 so that cam gear 28 engages the motor 24 . the needle 132 and thread 134 of the attaching mechanism pass through the selected tag and garment in the manner described hereinabove . as the attaching mechanism draws the thread around the presser foot 116 a loop is formed and subsequently tied by further operation of the attaching mechanism . thus , the length of the resulting loop is dependent upon the distance between the actuating mechanism 130 and the presser foot at the moment the thread is tied . therefore , the length of time the presser foot 116 is extended is directly related to the length of the resulting loop : if the presser foot is retracted early , the distance is small when the thread is tied whereas keeping the presser foot down causes a greater distance and hence a longer loop at the moment of tying . the length of time the presser foot is extended is controlled by an adjustable delay circuit 136 located in the microprocessor . continued movement of the attaching mechanism 130 via the gear 28 and the motor 24 results in completed attachment of the selected tag by means of needle 122 containing thread 124 . at the time when the selected tag has been properly attached , position - indicating means 138 located on gear 28 , such as a notch 138 , causes operation of the limit switch 29 . this information is received by the microprocessor on line 106 which , in response thereto , directs operation of the clutch 26 so as to disengage the gear 28 from the motor 24 . there is , however , sufficient momentum left in gear 28 to cause continued movement of the position - indicating notch 138 of the gear past the limit switch 29 so that the limit switch 29 is no longer engaged . at this point , the tag attaching procudure has completed one full cycle and the garment with tag can be removed thereby simultaneously cutting the tied thread free . the signal generated by engagement of the limit switch 29 is used for a second function by the microprocessor , however , to prepare for another tag - attaching operation . in addition to disengaging the clutch 26 , the microprocessor in response to operation of the limit switch causes the transport mechanism 34 to deposit another tag in the attaching station 30 per the steps set forth herein above . the last step of each attaching cycle , therefore , is to deposit another tag in the attaching station so as to be ready for a second operation of the command switch 48 . an adjustable delay circuitry 140 is included in the microprocessor connected to line 108 leading to the transport mechanism solenoid valve 82 to vary the interval between completion of tag attachment by attaching means 130 and the delivery of another tag in the manner described immediately above . this allows an operator sufficient time to remove the previous garment and tag from the attaching station 30 and presser block 128 so as to avoid jamming the device by delivering a new tag before removal is completed . the interval is adjustable to provide for varying degrees of skill among operators of the machine . successive operations of the command switch 48 while switch 46 is in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; setting causes the foregoing sequences to be repeated each time in response thereto . if the switch 46 is moved to &# 34 ; automatic &# 34 ; position and the command switch 48 is then operated , the foregoing events occur as described above with the additional step that operation of the limit switch 29 by gear 28 also causes the microprocessor to initiate another cycle of the attaching means , presser foot and transport mechanism upon completion of the prior cycle . in this manner , successive attachments of the tags occur automatically in response to a single operation of the command switch 48 , until switch 46 is moved back to &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position thereby completing the current cycle and then stopping . an adjustable delay circuit 142 included in the microprocessor may be used to control the interval of time between successive cycles of tag attaching when operating in the automatic mode . it may be appreciated that many different devices may be used to implement the circuitry and control mechanisms described hereinabove . for example , the clutch 26 engaging gear 28 may be a magnetic - type clutch , a pneumatic or hydraulic clutch , or a fully electronic braking system . similarly , the devices used to operate the transport mechanism 34 and the presser foot 116 may comprise pneumatic devices as discussed above or , alternately , bi - directional electric motors , hydraulic devices or any other suitable mechanisms . the microprocessor circuitry 38 may be designed in a variety of ways so as to accomplish the particular operating functions discussed hereinabove . a preferred embodiment of the microprocessor is illustrated in fig1 , wherein the reference characters correspond to those used in fig1 . the preferred embodiment comprises a known dc power supply 200 connected through the on / off switch 42 to the power source 100 to develop an internal voltage and ground . a reset pulse icl is developed by circuitry 202 connected to the power supply 200 . the pulse icl is characterized by the generation of a slowly increasing voltage waveform upon turning switch 42 on and is used to effect automatic reset and initialization of the other microprocessor circuitry . the command switch is connected to the input of a nand gate 204 having an output connected to an input of and gate 206 . the output of and gate 206 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 208 and to the set input of a latch 210 comprising nand gates . the output of the shaping circuit 208 is also connected to the monostable multivibrator 136 adjustable via resistor 210 . the pulse produced by the multivibrator 136 is connected to a driving circuit 212 for a relay 214 controlling the presser foot solenoid valve 118 . the output of the latch 210 is connected to another driving circuit 216 for a relay 218 controlling the cam gear clutch 26 . the input of the shaping circuit is connected to the limit switch 29 of the cam gear 28 . one reset input of the latch 210 is connected to master reset icl , and a second to the input of the monostable multivibrator 140 adjustable via resistor 222 . the output of multivibrator 140 is connected to a positive waveform pulse shaping circuit 224 , having an output connected to a set input of latch 226 . the latch 226 is connected to a driving circuit 228 for control of the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 through triac 230 . the microswitch 120 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 232 which has an output connected to the reset inputs of latch 226 and latch 234 . another reset input of latch 234 is connected to master reset icl , a set input to shaping circuit 208 , and the inverted output of the latch 234 to an input of nand gate 204 and nand gate 236 . this latter gate has another input connected to switch 44 and its output connected to the latch 226 . the output of shaping circuit 224 is also connected to a monostable multivibrator 142 adjustable via resistor 238 . the output of the multivibrator is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 240 , having an output connected to the reset input of a latch 242 and an inverted output connected to a nand gate 244 . the switch 46 is connected to the set input of latch 242 , the output of the latch is connected to the other input of nand gate 244 , having its output connected to the input of and gate 206 . the operation of the circuit of fig1 will now be described to illustrate the sequence of operations occuring during attachment of a tag . as discussed above , the first step is operating switch 44 which causes latch 226 to be set and the feeder arm solenold valve 82 to be operated via driving circuit 228 and triac 230 . the feeder mechanism advances a selected tag towards the attaching station until it is in place and microswitch 120 is engaged , resulting in resetting latch 226 and turning off solenoid valve 82 thereby causing the feeder mechanism to return . a tag is now properly in place in the attaching station . the next step is to operate command switch 48 which simultaneously turns on the presser foot solenoid valve 118 via shaping circuit 208 , multivibrator 136 , driving circuit 212 and relay 214 , and turning on the cam gear clutch 29 via latch 210 , driving circuit 216 and relay 218 . thus , the presser foot engages the garment and the attaching mechanism begins operation meanwhile , latch 234 has been set , thereby temporarily blocking via gate 204 any further operation from pressing command switch 48 . the duration of operation of the presser foot solenoid valve 118 is controlled by multivibrator 136 . as discussed above , this has a direct effect upon the length of thread loop attaching the selected tag to the garment . when the multivibrator 136 times out , the presser foot is released . since the cam gear solenoid 26 is still being operated , the attaching mechanism completes its cycle of operation thereby attaching the tag . when the cycle is completed and limit switch 29 is momentarily engaged , the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 is again operated via the chain comprising the shaping circuit 220 , multivibrator 140 , shaping circuit 224 , driving circuit 228 and relay 230 . the feeder mechanism operates until a tag is deposited in the attaching station , microswitch 120 is engaged and the feeder mechanism is returned as described hereinabove . the latch 234 is also reset by engagement of the microswitch 120 so the system is prepared for another attaching cycle . in the above - described sequence , the multivibrator 140 is adjusted to delay the interval between completion of the attaching mechanism and a new operation of the feeder mechanism . if manual operation has been selected , the above sequence constitutes a finished cycle since gate 206 is blocked until another pulse is received from the command switch . if automatic operation is selected by engaging switch 46 and setting latch 242 , however , the pulse causing operation of the feeder mechanism as a result of triggering of the limit switch 29 also causes multivibrator 142 to produce a pulse which is used to repeat the entire attaching cycle via shaping circuit 240 , gates 244 and 206 . the multivibrator 142 is adjustable to control the interval between successive attaching cycles . thus , successive operations of the command switch 48 are not needed to initiate an attaching cycle when the automatic mode has been selected . disengaging switch 46 causes gate 206 to be blocked again , thereby switching to manual operation and halting the operation sequence at the conclusion of the last attaching cycle . it may be appreciated from the foregoing that many other circuit designs can be incorporated in the microprocessor to produce the desired functions and the disclosed embodiment is intended to be illustrative of just one possible design . for example , the circuitry can be replaced or altered to include transistors or operational amplifiers . alternately , the microprocessor may be incorporated in a single integrated circuit of an appropriate design to produce the desired operation . inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations , modifications and changes in detail , it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Textiles; Paper'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | 9d8123359446011bcbc860702f05aebea97704165a773239c7d2e84d11de9f01 | 0.005554 | 0.015442 | 0.000315 | 0.003601 | 0.014038 | 0.002319 |
null | the present invention is embodied in a tag attaching machine shown in perspective view in fig1 and identified generally by the number 20 . the tag attaching machine 20 includes a main frame member or base 22 on which is mounted a motor 24 which is coupled through a solenoid actuated clutch mechanism 26 to a main drive gear 28 which in turn is coupled to the tag attaching mechanism at a tag attaching station identified generally with the numeral 30 . the main frame member 22 also supports a pneumatic compressor 32 which provides a source of air , under slight pressure , for actuating various pneumatically controlled mechanisms as will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow . the tag attaching machine 20 also includes a transport mechanism , indicated generally at 34 for moving individual tags from a tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 . the tag transport mechanism 34 , the clutch and gear assembly 26 , 28 , and the mechanism at the tag attaching station 30 are all sequenced and controlled by a solid state microprocessor circuit indicated generally at 38 . for control of the tag attaching machine , several externally accessible switches are provided . disposed on a convenient control panel 40 above the transport assembly 34 is an on / off switch 42 controlling the supply of power to the overall machine . next to the on / off switch 42 is a pushbutton switch 44 which , as will be further described hereinbelow , causes the feed of a single tag from the tag supply 36 to the tag attaching station 30 without initiating a tag attaching operation at the tag attaching station . a further two - position switch 46 is disposed next to pushbutton switch 44 and controls the programming of microprocessor 38 between a manual mode and an automatic mode . in the manual mode , the tag attaching machine 20 may be caused to feed a single tag and attach the same to a garment or article upon depression of a main operator control switch 48 . the actuation of switch 48 by the operator causes only a single operation to be performed when switch 46 is in the manual position . when the switch 46 is moved to its automatic position , the machine will repetitively and periodically continue to sequence through successive tag attaching operations thereby permitting the operator to automatically attach tags to garments or articles without having to separately actuate command switch 48 for each sequence . referring to fig2 and 4 , the tag feed mechanism 34 includes a main mounting member 50 attached to the main frame 22 . journaled for rotation about an upstanding pin 52 on member 50 is a transport actuating lever 70 . as can be appreciated from fig4 transport lever 70 is journaled at an intermediate point for rotation in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions about the axis of pin 52 . a first end 72 of arm 70 is pivotally attached to a piston 90 by an intermediate connecting element 74 . piston 90 is disposed within a conforming cylinder 80 which is connected by pneumatic lines to a solenoid operated pneumatic valve 82 via an extending outlet 84 and a retracting outlet 86 connected respectively at opposite ends of the cylinder 80 as shown . as will become clear below , the solenoid operated valve 82 , when at rest , supplies compressed air from compressor 32 through retracting outlet 86 to the end of cylinder 80 so as to cause the piston 90 to retract to the position shown in fig2 and 4 . the opposite end 76 of lever arm 70 is bifurcated to receive an upright post 78 carried upon a tuning fork - like tag push member 92 . the tag pusher member 92 has two tines 94 each provided at their distal ends with an offset shoulder 96 having a slightly downwardly inclined bottom surface 98 . pusher member 92 is disposed atop plate 50 between a pair of spaced , elongated channel guides 31 . the top surface of the channel guide members 31 is coplaner with the top surface of the tines 94 of pusher member 92 as can best be seen in the sectional view of fig7 . these members thus form a generally flat transport plate or surface so as to enable tags to be fed from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 whenever the pusher member 92 is rectilinearly shifted from the left to the right as visualized in fig4 under the driving force of the counter clockwise rotating lever arm 70 . turning to fig2 and 3 , a generally u - shaped frame member 33 is secured to the top of support plate 50 . rotatably disposed across frame 33 is a threaded rod 35 having a crank handle 37 attached at one end . an adjustable support block 39 is attached to a threaded nut 41 carried on the opposite end of rod 35 , as illustrated . the upper edge of block 39 is adapted to be received within a shallow groove or channel 43 in the lower surface of the cross portion of frame 33 so as to preclude the block 39 from rotation as crank handle 37 is turned . in this manner , turning of the crank handle causes linear transposition of the block 39 as can be appreciated from a comparison of fig2 and 3 . carried upon block 39 is a sensor , such as a microswitch 120 having an actuating roller 45 . the microswitch 120 is mounted on block 39 such that the roller 45 is in the path of rotary movement of lever arm 70 . as will be described in more detail herein below , the microswitch is actuated each time the lever arm 70 moves in a counter clockwise direction , as visualized in fig4 . thus , as the lever arm rotates from the rest position shown in fig2 through 4 to a tag feed position as shown in phantom lines in fig4 the microswitch will be actuated . mounted on the cross member of frame 33 is an upright pin or arm 47 . similarly , a pair of spaced upright arms 49 and 51 are attached to moveable block 39 . pin 47 , which is fixed with respect to frame 33 , cooperates with arms 49 and 51 to form a tag width gauge . as can be appreciated from fig2 and 3 , the tag width gauge may be easily used by merely positioning a single tag such that a prepunched hole therein is placed over pin 47 . with the tag thus in position , crank 37 is rotated to move arm 49 until it just engages the edge of the tag as shown in fig3 . since the movement of arm 49 on block 39 by turning crank 37 also causes a like movement of microswitch 120 , it can be appreciated that the end point of travel of lever 70 , which is determined by the microswitch 120 , will be adjusted each time as the tag width is measured . by coordinating the tag width gauge measurement with the positioning of the microswitch 120 on block 39 and with the distance between the tag supply stack 37 and the tag attaching station 30 , the tag pusher member 92 can be caused to move precisely the amount required to shift a tag from the stacked array to the tag attaching station by merely taking a representative tag and placing it in the width measurement gauge and adjusting crank 37 . since the tag width may vary over a considerable extent , it may be necessary in certain instances to remove tag push member 92 and replace the same with one having shorter tines 94 . when the substitute push member is thus installed , the second gauge arm 51 carried by moveable block 39 may be used in conjunction with fixed arm 47 to measure tag width and set the microswitch 120 accordingly . it can be appreciated from the above that the tag attaching machine according to the present invention is quickly and precisely adaptable to use with tags of widely varying widths . moreover , the adjustment is extremely simple and merely requires that the operator place the tag between the appropriate gauge members 47 and 49 or 47 and 51 and then merely rotate the crank 37 to conform to the tag dimension . this action automatically transpositions the microswitch 120 so as to establish the end point of travel of lever arm 70 whereupon the push member 92 will move the tag the precise distance necessary to bring the same into perfect alignment at the tag attaching station 30 . the apparatus according to the present invention further includes a tag thickness gauge . refering again to fig2 and 3 , the tag supply stack 36 is adapted to be placed against a retaining member 53 which is mounted such that its lower edge is spaced from the upper surface of the support plate formed by guides 31 and tines 94 of push member 92 so as to permit a tag of maximum intended thickness to pass therebetween . at the top of retaining member 53 , a perpendicular leg 55 extends toward the tag attaching station such that the retaining member 53 and attached leg 55 have a generally l - shaped section . a shutter 57 is mounted against the retaining member 53 by suitable means such as a screw 59 which extends through a slot in member 53 . a perpendicularly disposed leg 61 extends from the top edge of shutter 57 such that the shutter also has a generally l - shaped section . the dimensions of shutter 57 are such that the spacing between leg members 55 and 61 is precisely the same as the opening at the bottom of the shutter above the tag supporting plate formed by tines 94 and support members 31 . by placing a selected tag between members 55 and 61 , and , after loosening screw 59 , adjusting the shutter 57 accordingly , the shutter opening will be quickly and precisely set to permit only one tag to be withdrawn from the tag supply 36 and shifted to the tag attaching station 30 . on the opposite side of the tag supply stack 36 from retaining member 53 is a second retaining member 63 . this member may be moved to the left and to the right so as to accommodate tags of different widths and maintain the same in a neat stack . a weight 65 is attached , preferably with some degree of freedom to the bottom end of a rod 67 which is loosely held in an elongated slot 69 in a holding member 71 . a handle 73 is attached to the top of rod 67 so that the rod and weight may be picked up and moved and then replaced atop a stack of tags 36 to maintain the same in proper alignment . the tag supply 36 is also provided with a tag retention member 75 in the form of a generally flat strip of material having its top end bent over to form a finger grip portion 77 and having an ear 79 attached to wall member 63 by any suitable means such as screw 81 . member 75 may be positioned to accommodate tags of varying depths and effectively prevents the tag supply from inadvertent dislodgment . a metal tube 83 has an opening 85 shaped to form a nozzle . the tube 83 is held in position by an appropriate block 87 and is adapted to be connected to compressor 32 so as to feed a stream of air against the needle 132 . the stream of air eminating from nozzle 85 clears the severed loose ends of the thread after each tag attaching sequence and blows the remaining tag end to the right , as visualized in fig2 and 3 , so as to place the thread end in the proper position for pick up during the next tag attaching sequence . referring to fig8 and 10 , fig8 shows the positioning of the various elements at or near the tag attaching station 30 just prior to the first tag attaching operation . at this time , a single tag has been moved from the tag supply stack 36 to the tag attaching station 30 and is sitting between the upper surface of the support plate and a guard plate 89 . an article to which a tag is to be attached is positioned over the presser block 128 , as shown . the operator then commences the tag attaching sequence by engaging switch 48 ( fig1 ). this begins the entire sequence and initially causes the needle 132 to move down . the needle will continue to travel down through the hole in the tag and through article until it reaches the lowest position of travel . at this point , a pick up mechanism 91 is operated to grasp the end of the thread at the lower end of the needle under the article . at this same time , the presser foot 116 will have pressed the article against presser block 128 to hold it securely in place . as the needle 132 begins to move back in the upward direction , the pick up mechanism will also move the end of the thread up above the guard plate 89 as shown in fig9 . depending upon the duration of the down position of the presser foot 116 , the length of the loop thus formed , as depicted in fig9 will vary . as will be described more fully herein below , the presser foot down duration is controlled by the microprocessor 38 , and a timing network included therein may be adjusted to select any desired loop diameter . at the conclusion of the tag attaching sequence , the article is pulled from the tag attaching station whereupon the knotting mechanism ( not shown ) completes its function and the next article may be then moved into position . referring now to fig1 the operation of the present invention through the control of microprocessor circuitry 38 will be explained in detail . the microprocessor circuitry 38 is connected to a source of power designated generally as power supply 100 . the power derived from supply 100 is utilized by the microprocessor to selectively operate the other elements of the invention . control of the microprocessor circuitry 38 is achieved through a plurality of switches connected to its inputs . as discussed above , a control panel 40 includes a two - position switch 42 which turns the microprocessor on and off , a push button switch 44 to cause movement of the transport mechanism without actual attachment of the tag , and a two - position switch 46 to operate the microprocessor in either mutual or automatic modes . in the manual mode , a first operation of switch 46 followed by operation of a command switch 48 causes movement and attachment of a single tag , whereas in automatic mode successive operations of the tag attaching mechanism result from a single operation of the command switch 48 . the motor 24 receives power from the microprocessor via line 102 . the gear 28 is engaged to be driven by the motor 24 upon operation of a clutch 26 contolled by the microprocessor via line 104 . a limit switch 29 detects the position of gear 28 and directs this information to the microprocessor via line 106 . the transport mechanism 34 operated via cylinder 80 is controlled through a solenoid valve 82 connected to the microprocessor via line 108 , to the cylinder 80 by outlets 84 and 86 to control respectively extending and retracting piston 90 , and to a pneumatic compressor 32 . power to the pneumatic compressor 32 is controlled by the microprocessor via line 112 . a microswitch 120 which detects the position of the tag feeder arm 70 transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . the microprocessor also controls a presser foot 116 by means of a solenoid valve 118 connected to line 121 , to extending outlet 122 and retracting outlet 124 of air cylinder 126 , and to the pneumatic compressor 32 . in operation , the presser foot 116 is extended to retain the material against presser block 128 directly below the attaching station 30 during movement of the attaching mechanism 130 including needle 132 and thread 134 . to perform a single tag attaching operation , switch 42 is first moved to its &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position , thereby causing power to be applied to the motor 24 and the pneumatic compressor 32 . switch 46 is placed in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position and switch 44 is operated once . in response , microprocessor circuitry 38 institutes movement of the transport mechanism 34 by operating the solenoid valve 82 via line 108 thereby directing air from the pneumatic compressor 32 into extending outlet 84 which causes a tag to be moved from the stack of tags 36 towards the tag attaching station 30 . when the selected tag has been completely moved into place in the tag attaching station 30 , microswitch 120 is engaged by the tag feeder arm 70 and transmits this information to the microprocessor on line 114 . upon receipt of this signal the microprocessor disables solenoid valve 82 which causes air from the compressor 32 to be directed to retracting outlet 86 so that the piston 90 retracts into the cylinder 80 and the transport mechanism 34 moves back to its initial position . by operating switch 44 once , the resulting movement of tag mechanism 34 causes a selected tag to be moved to the tag attaching station 30 . at this time , the alignment of the tag can be verified and any needed changes in the tag gauges can be made . if attachment of the selected tag to the garment is desired , operation is continued by placing a garment on presser block 128 and pressing the command switch 48 one time . in response , the microprocessor simultaneously institutes movement of the presser foot 116 and the attaching mechanism 130 . a signal on line 120 causes the solenoid valve 118 to direct air from the compressor 32 to the extending outlet 122 of the presser foot cylinder 126 , thereby driving the presser foot 116 against the presser block 128 to hold the garment in place . after a predetermined albeit adjustable time , solenoid valve 118 is switched off thereby directing air into retracting outlet 124 so the presser foot 116 lifts off of presser block 128 . meanwhile , the attaching mechanism 130 is activated by controlling the clutch 26 so that cam gear 28 engages the motor 24 . the needle 132 and thread 134 of the attaching mechanism pass through the selected tag and garment in the manner described hereinabove . as the attaching mechanism draws the thread around the presser foot 116 a loop is formed and subsequently tied by further operation of the attaching mechanism . thus , the length of the resulting loop is dependent upon the distance between the actuating mechanism 130 and the presser foot at the moment the thread is tied . therefore , the length of time the presser foot 116 is extended is directly related to the length of the resulting loop : if the presser foot is retracted early , the distance is small when the thread is tied whereas keeping the presser foot down causes a greater distance and hence a longer loop at the moment of tying . the length of time the presser foot is extended is controlled by an adjustable delay circuit 136 located in the microprocessor . continued movement of the attaching mechanism 130 via the gear 28 and the motor 24 results in completed attachment of the selected tag by means of needle 122 containing thread 124 . at the time when the selected tag has been properly attached , position - indicating means 138 located on gear 28 , such as a notch 138 , causes operation of the limit switch 29 . this information is received by the microprocessor on line 106 which , in response thereto , directs operation of the clutch 26 so as to disengage the gear 28 from the motor 24 . there is , however , sufficient momentum left in gear 28 to cause continued movement of the position - indicating notch 138 of the gear past the limit switch 29 so that the limit switch 29 is no longer engaged . at this point , the tag attaching procudure has completed one full cycle and the garment with tag can be removed thereby simultaneously cutting the tied thread free . the signal generated by engagement of the limit switch 29 is used for a second function by the microprocessor , however , to prepare for another tag - attaching operation . in addition to disengaging the clutch 26 , the microprocessor in response to operation of the limit switch causes the transport mechanism 34 to deposit another tag in the attaching station 30 per the steps set forth herein above . the last step of each attaching cycle , therefore , is to deposit another tag in the attaching station so as to be ready for a second operation of the command switch 48 . an adjustable delay circuitry 140 is included in the microprocessor connected to line 108 leading to the transport mechanism solenoid valve 82 to vary the interval between completion of tag attachment by attaching means 130 and the delivery of another tag in the manner described immediately above . this allows an operator sufficient time to remove the previous garment and tag from the attaching station 30 and presser block 128 so as to avoid jamming the device by delivering a new tag before removal is completed . the interval is adjustable to provide for varying degrees of skill among operators of the machine . successive operations of the command switch 48 while switch 46 is in &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; setting causes the foregoing sequences to be repeated each time in response thereto . if the switch 46 is moved to &# 34 ; automatic &# 34 ; position and the command switch 48 is then operated , the foregoing events occur as described above with the additional step that operation of the limit switch 29 by gear 28 also causes the microprocessor to initiate another cycle of the attaching means , presser foot and transport mechanism upon completion of the prior cycle . in this manner , successive attachments of the tags occur automatically in response to a single operation of the command switch 48 , until switch 46 is moved back to &# 34 ; manual &# 34 ; position thereby completing the current cycle and then stopping . an adjustable delay circuit 142 included in the microprocessor may be used to control the interval of time between successive cycles of tag attaching when operating in the automatic mode . it may be appreciated that many different devices may be used to implement the circuitry and control mechanisms described hereinabove . for example , the clutch 26 engaging gear 28 may be a magnetic - type clutch , a pneumatic or hydraulic clutch , or a fully electronic braking system . similarly , the devices used to operate the transport mechanism 34 and the presser foot 116 may comprise pneumatic devices as discussed above or , alternately , bi - directional electric motors , hydraulic devices or any other suitable mechanisms . the microprocessor circuitry 38 may be designed in a variety of ways so as to accomplish the particular operating functions discussed hereinabove . a preferred embodiment of the microprocessor is illustrated in fig1 , wherein the reference characters correspond to those used in fig1 . the preferred embodiment comprises a known dc power supply 200 connected through the on / off switch 42 to the power source 100 to develop an internal voltage and ground . a reset pulse icl is developed by circuitry 202 connected to the power supply 200 . the pulse icl is characterized by the generation of a slowly increasing voltage waveform upon turning switch 42 on and is used to effect automatic reset and initialization of the other microprocessor circuitry . the command switch is connected to the input of a nand gate 204 having an output connected to an input of and gate 206 . the output of and gate 206 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 208 and to the set input of a latch 210 comprising nand gates . the output of the shaping circuit 208 is also connected to the monostable multivibrator 136 adjustable via resistor 210 . the pulse produced by the multivibrator 136 is connected to a driving circuit 212 for a relay 214 controlling the presser foot solenoid valve 118 . the output of the latch 210 is connected to another driving circuit 216 for a relay 218 controlling the cam gear clutch 26 . the input of the shaping circuit is connected to the limit switch 29 of the cam gear 28 . one reset input of the latch 210 is connected to master reset icl , and a second to the input of the monostable multivibrator 140 adjustable via resistor 222 . the output of multivibrator 140 is connected to a positive waveform pulse shaping circuit 224 , having an output connected to a set input of latch 226 . the latch 226 is connected to a driving circuit 228 for control of the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 through triac 230 . the microswitch 120 is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 232 which has an output connected to the reset inputs of latch 226 and latch 234 . another reset input of latch 234 is connected to master reset icl , a set input to shaping circuit 208 , and the inverted output of the latch 234 to an input of nand gate 204 and nand gate 236 . this latter gate has another input connected to switch 44 and its output connected to the latch 226 . the output of shaping circuit 224 is also connected to a monostable multivibrator 142 adjustable via resistor 238 . the output of the multivibrator is connected to a negative pulse shaping circuit 240 , having an output connected to the reset input of a latch 242 and an inverted output connected to a nand gate 244 . the switch 46 is connected to the set input of latch 242 , the output of the latch is connected to the other input of nand gate 244 , having its output connected to the input of and gate 206 . the operation of the circuit of fig1 will now be described to illustrate the sequence of operations occuring during attachment of a tag . as discussed above , the first step is operating switch 44 which causes latch 226 to be set and the feeder arm solenold valve 82 to be operated via driving circuit 228 and triac 230 . the feeder mechanism advances a selected tag towards the attaching station until it is in place and microswitch 120 is engaged , resulting in resetting latch 226 and turning off solenoid valve 82 thereby causing the feeder mechanism to return . a tag is now properly in place in the attaching station . the next step is to operate command switch 48 which simultaneously turns on the presser foot solenoid valve 118 via shaping circuit 208 , multivibrator 136 , driving circuit 212 and relay 214 , and turning on the cam gear clutch 29 via latch 210 , driving circuit 216 and relay 218 . thus , the presser foot engages the garment and the attaching mechanism begins operation meanwhile , latch 234 has been set , thereby temporarily blocking via gate 204 any further operation from pressing command switch 48 . the duration of operation of the presser foot solenoid valve 118 is controlled by multivibrator 136 . as discussed above , this has a direct effect upon the length of thread loop attaching the selected tag to the garment . when the multivibrator 136 times out , the presser foot is released . since the cam gear solenoid 26 is still being operated , the attaching mechanism completes its cycle of operation thereby attaching the tag . when the cycle is completed and limit switch 29 is momentarily engaged , the feeder mechanism solenoid valve 82 is again operated via the chain comprising the shaping circuit 220 , multivibrator 140 , shaping circuit 224 , driving circuit 228 and relay 230 . the feeder mechanism operates until a tag is deposited in the attaching station , microswitch 120 is engaged and the feeder mechanism is returned as described hereinabove . the latch 234 is also reset by engagement of the microswitch 120 so the system is prepared for another attaching cycle . in the above - described sequence , the multivibrator 140 is adjusted to delay the interval between completion of the attaching mechanism and a new operation of the feeder mechanism . if manual operation has been selected , the above sequence constitutes a finished cycle since gate 206 is blocked until another pulse is received from the command switch . if automatic operation is selected by engaging switch 46 and setting latch 242 , however , the pulse causing operation of the feeder mechanism as a result of triggering of the limit switch 29 also causes multivibrator 142 to produce a pulse which is used to repeat the entire attaching cycle via shaping circuit 240 , gates 244 and 206 . the multivibrator 142 is adjustable to control the interval between successive attaching cycles . thus , successive operations of the command switch 48 are not needed to initiate an attaching cycle when the automatic mode has been selected . disengaging switch 46 causes gate 206 to be blocked again , thereby switching to manual operation and halting the operation sequence at the conclusion of the last attaching cycle . it may be appreciated from the foregoing that many other circuit designs can be incorporated in the microprocessor to produce the desired functions and the disclosed embodiment is intended to be illustrative of just one possible design . for example , the circuitry can be replaced or altered to include transistors or operational amplifiers . alternately , the microprocessor may be incorporated in a single integrated circuit of an appropriate design to produce the desired operation . inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations , modifications and changes in detail , it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . | Should this patent be classified under 'Textiles; Paper'? | Is 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 9d8123359446011bcbc860702f05aebea97704165a773239c7d2e84d11de9f01 | 0.001366 | 0.214844 | 0.000045 | 0.071777 | 0.003937 | 0.081543 |
null | referring to fig1 , a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver 5 comprises an antenna 10 connected to a low noise amplifier ( lna ) 12 . the zif receiver 5 further comprises a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 and two mixer circuits 16 , 18 . each mixer circuit 16 , 18 is provided with an rf port 20 , 22 and an lo port 24 , 26 , wherein the rf ports 20 , 22 are connected to the lna 12 and the lo ports 24 , 26 are connected to a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 . in use , the lo 14 transmits an lo signal ( lo_sig ) to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 through a phase shifter 28 , which shifts the phase of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by one of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 by 90 ° compared with the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by the other mixer circuit 16 , 18 . similarly , the antenna 10 receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) which is amplified by the lna 12 . the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is transmitted through the rf ports 20 , 22 to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 , wherein the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is mixed with the lo signal ( lo_sig ). the mixing process down - converts the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) into separate baseband in - phase ( i ) and quadrature phase ( q ) components , wherein the output from each mixer circuit 16 , 18 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency twice that of the lo signal ( lo_sig )). the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 30 , 32 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 16 , 18 and the remaining difference signal is converted into the digital domain by baseband analogue to digital converters ( adc ) 34 , 36 . the resulting digital signal is filtered by high pass filters ( hpf ) 38 , 40 which remove a dc offset signal and low frequency noise to produce output signals i out and q out . for simplicity , the path of an i component through its associated lpf 30 , adc 34 and hpf 38 to produce the i out signal , will be known henceforth as an “ i path ”. similarly , the path of a q component through its associated lpf 32 , adc 36 and hpf 40 to produce the q out signal , will be known henceforth as a “ q path ” 2 . sources of interference in a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver dc offset signals are offset voltages that exist at the baseband frequency . however , since the mixer circuits 16 , 18 directly down - convert an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to the baseband , a dc offset signal can appear as an interfering signal in the resulting i and q components . more particularly , a dc offset signal can arise from lo self mixing which occurs because of the finite isolation ( resulting from capacitive and substrate coupling ) of the lo ports 24 , 26 and the rf ports 20 , 22 of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 . the finite isolation of these ports enables some of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) to leak through the rf ports 20 , 22 ( towards the lna 12 ), whereupon the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is reflected ( because of interface mismatch ) back into the mixer circuits 16 , 18 and mixed with the original lo signal ( lo_sig ) to produce a dc offset signal . similarly , a time - varying dc offset signal is generated if the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is radiated by the lna 12 and subsequently reflected from moving objects back to the receiver 5 . the mixer circuits 16 , 18 provide quadrature mixing which should , in theory , provide infinite attenuation of the foldover of image band energy into the desired signal band . if quadrature mixing is perfect then there is no image foldover . however , in practice , there is always some imbalance between the i and q paths of a receiver , mainly because of the finite tolerances of the capacitance and resistance values of its analogue components . quadrature imbalance corrupts a received signal within a desired channel with a portion of the energy contained within the image band of the desired signal ( and is also known as alternate channel foldover ). to date , elaborate circuitry and dsp techniques have been developed to combat these problems . however , these approaches have limited success ( e . g . dc cancellation is unable to handle variations in a dc offset signal ) and have added to the complexity and cost of zif receivers . the very low intermediate frequency ( vlif ) receiver architecture was developed in an effort to circumvent the problems of dc offset signals and 1 / f noise whilst preserving the advantages of the zif receiver architecture . referring to fig2 , at first glance , a vlif receiver looks very similar to a zif receiver . in particular , a vlif receiver 42 employs an antenna 44 to receive an incoming signal ( rx_sig of frequency f chan ) and an lna 46 to amplify the signal . however , in contrast with the zif receiver ( which directly down - converts an incoming signal to the baseband ), the vlif receiver 42 down - converts ( by mixer circuits 48 , 50 , phase shifter 52 and an lo 54 operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ) the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to a frequency very close to , but not equal to , the baseband . in particular , the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted to an intermediate frequency ( if ) signal ( ifrx_sig ) of frequency ( f vlif ) of approximately 100 khz . the if signal ( ifrx_sig ) is then filtered by low pass filters 56 , 58 , converted to the digital domain by analogue to digital converters 60 , 62 and high pass filtered by filters 64 , 66 . the resulting signal is down - converted to the baseband by digital mixing circuits 68 , 70 , a phase shifter 72 and an lo 74 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). as in the zif receiver , the output from each of the mixer circuits 68 , 70 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency equal to 2 × f vlif ), wherein the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 76 , 78 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 68 , 70 . in theory , the main advantage of the vlif receiver compared to the zif receiver is that since the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted ( by the first mixer circuits 48 , 50 ) to an intermediate frequency , rather than to 0 hz , a dc offset signal does not overlap with the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). consequently , the dc offset signal can be removed by the high pass filters 64 , 66 . nonetheless , in practice , the vlif receiver architecture still experiences problems with dc offset and quadrature imbalance . the high pass filters in a vlif receiver must pass a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) without distortion , whilst removing any dc offset signal and low frequency noise therefrom . however , simulations have shown that when no dc component is present in a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ), the high pass filters 64 , 66 can degrade the performance of a vlif receiver by more than 2 db , because the filters remove some of the energy from the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) itself . however , this problem can be mitigated by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), so that the high pass filters 64 , 66 have less impact on the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). fig3 shows an incoming signal band ( of pass band f pb ) whose central frequency is down - converted to a first intermediate frequency ( f vlif1 ). for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ first down - converted signal band ”. the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 11 , e 12 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif1 − f pb and f vlif1 + f pb respectively . fig3 also shows the same incoming signal band down - converted to a second intermediate frequency ( f vlif2 ), wherein f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif 2 . for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ second down - converted signal band ”. as before , the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 21 , e 22 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif2 − f pb and f vlif2 + f pb . superimposed on these first and second down - converted signal bands , is the amplitude - frequency response of a hypothetical high pass filter ( with notch n ). since f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif2 , the lower band edge ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band , is closer to the notch ( n ) of the high pass filter than the lower band edge ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band . the difference δ 1 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band is 3 . 5 db . similarly , the difference δ 2 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band is 2 . 3 db . generalising from this , it can be seen that the closer the lower band edge of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is to 0 hz , the more the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is attenuated by a high pass filter . to overcome this problem , the amplitude cutoff response of the high pass filter must be steepened . in the case of a finite impulse response ( fir ) filter this approach will rapidly increase the latency of the filter . similarly , with an infinite impulse response ( iir ) filter , both the latency and the non - linearity of the group delay distortion at the high pass filter band edge will increase . however , in a time division multiple access ( tdma ) system such as global system for mobile communications ( gsm ), there are absolute upper limits on the tolerable latency of a receiver &# 39 ; s circuitry . furthermore , the span of samples that can be combined by an equalizer ( e . g . an adaptive filter configured to implement an inverse of a channel frequency response to remove any dispersive filtering effects experienced by a signal between a transmitter and a receiver ) in the baseband modem will dictate the acceptable level of group delay distortion . on the other hand , if the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is too large , the down - converted incoming signal ( rx_sig ) will not pass through the low pass filters of the vlif receiver , without substantial attenuation . thus , the bandwidth of the vlif receiver &# 39 ; s low pass filters , limits the extent to which the intermediate frequency of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) can be moved away from a dc offset signal . reverting to fig2 , quadrature imbalance occurs when the operation of the mixer circuits 48 , 50 permits energy at the image frequencies to leak into the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) and to act as an interference therewith . in particular , the performance of a vlif receiver is very sensitive to blocking signals that are located at an alternate channel ( i . e . the negative vlif ). these blocking signals will ( with quadrature imbalance ) produce images that directly fall within the band of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ). typically , vlif receivers will incorporate a quadrature balancing scheme to minimize these images . however , these schemes are not perfect and always leave some residual quadrature imbalance . in a gsm vlif system where there is a strong adjacent channel interferer to an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), any attempt to increase the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) to overcome dc offset will require an improvement in the receiver &# 39 ; s quadrature balance . thus , the above - mentioned limitations on the ability to eliminate quadrature imbalance will also restrict any increases in the intermediate frequency of the vlif receiver . in view of the above , the choice of a particular intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is driven by a number of conflicting demands including : increasing f vlif to facilitate dc offset removal ; minimising f vlif to minimize the proportion of image energy overlapping with the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( even with a quadrature balancing scheme , the large blockers that can occur in a gsm system mean that this factor is always significant ); and ensuring that f vlif is greater than half the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( to ensure that any residual dc offset does not fall within the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) band . the present embodiment is based on the observation that if little or no interference can be measured in an image band , then quadrature imbalance is unlikely to be a problem in a vlif receiver , since the amount of energy in the image band that could fold over into a desired signal band would not be large enough to form a dominant source of impairment . accordingly , the present embodiment compares the energy in a desired signal band with the energy in a wider band which contains the desired signal band . the result of this comparison indicates whether there is significant energy in the portion of the wider band which is not occupied by the desired signal band . the presence of a significant energy in the unoccupied portion of the wider band can be considered as an indication of the possible presence of energy in the image band . thus , the vlif should be set to a low frequency value . conversely , a failure to detect a significant energy in the unoccupied portion can be used to justify an increase in the vlif . for simplicity , fig4 only shows the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 . however , it will be appreciated that the q path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 has mirroring features to those depicted in fig4 . thus , the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 comprises an antenna 144 which receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), wherein the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is processed by a lna 146 and the resulting signal is downconverted to an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) by a mixer circuit 148 and local oscillator 154 ( operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ). the resulting intermediate frequency signal is filtered by a low pass filter 156 and converted into the digital domain by an adc 160 . the dc offset signal from the resulting digital signal is removed by a high pass filter 164 . as before , the second stage of the downconversion process is performed by a mixer circuit 168 and a local oscillator 174 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). the resulting baseband signal is processed by a low pass filter 176 . in contrast with the prior art vlif receiver , the i and q paths of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 also comprise two energy estimators 82 , 84 which operate under the controller of a control logic unit 86 . the first energy estimator 82 is connected between the high pass filter 164 and the mixer circuit 168 . accordingly , the first energy estimator 82 receives a wideband signal including the desired signal and any interference present . accordingly , the energy ( e c + i ) estimated by the first energy estimator 82 represents the energy of the carrier signal and the interference . the second energy estimator 84 is connected to the output of the low pass filter 176 . the low pass filter 168 is designed to pass only the desired signal . accordingly , the energy ( e c ) estimated by the second energy estimator 84 represents energy of the desired signal only . referring to fig5 together with fig4 , in use , the control logic unit 86 compares 90 the energy estimates generated by the first energy estimator 82 and the second energy estimator 84 to determine whether or not a strong blocker is present . this allows the ratio of the energy of the carrier signal to the energy of the interferers to be estimated . if e c + i ≈ αe c then the interference is very small . thus , even if there is signal energy present in the image band , it would not significantly interfere with the desired signal even if the quadrature imbalance is relatively poor . thus , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) can be increased 92 . by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), the separation between a desired signal and any dc offset signal or low frequency noise is increased . in contrast , if e c + i ≧ αe c , then a very large interference is present in the signal . in other words , if the wideband energy is much larger than the desired signal energy , then there is a possibility that there is significant energy in the image band . thus , there is a possibility of a foldover of some of this energy into the desired signal band ). accordingly , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is maintained 94 at a low , or default , value . in use , any increase in the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is not applied until the next tdma slot allocated to the vlif receiver 80 . the present embodiment provides a mechanism for removing dc offset signals and low frequency noise with minimal impact on a desired signal whilst maintaining acceptable performance in the face of large blockers in the image frequencies . furthermore , the present embodiment provides a technique for dynamically reconfiguring a vlif receiver to ensure optimal performance in view of changes in the rf environment observed at its antenna . finally , the present embodiment provides a control algorithm to dynamically alter an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) in search of improved performance in a manner which has not been used before in a gsm / edge receiver . on another note , the energy comparison approach of the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over a period of time . similarly , when frequency hopping is active , the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over different frequencies . in this case , the control logic unit need only keep track of a currently examined channel and keep independent data for each channel used . in other words , like most cellular communication systems , gsm operates over many frequency channels . when a phone initiates communication with a base station it will be dynamically assigned a channel or number of channels to operate on . the assignment of channels will vary over time . the presence or absence of interfering signals will also change over time . therefore , it is necessary to have a mechanism to keep track of which channels interference is occurring on . for example a gsm phone may be communicating with the base station using two channels that it hops between . if channel a has an associated interferer and channel b does not then it is beneficial to configure the receiver differently for channel than for channel b ). alterations and modifications may be made to the above without departing from the scope of the invention . | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | 341adb38f13bec14e2e061a445581ecec915fde1f36a5fc8e83766faac89f067 | 0.249023 | 0.005737 | 0.067383 | 0.000028 | 0.143555 | 0.012817 |
null | referring to fig1 , a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver 5 comprises an antenna 10 connected to a low noise amplifier ( lna ) 12 . the zif receiver 5 further comprises a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 and two mixer circuits 16 , 18 . each mixer circuit 16 , 18 is provided with an rf port 20 , 22 and an lo port 24 , 26 , wherein the rf ports 20 , 22 are connected to the lna 12 and the lo ports 24 , 26 are connected to a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 . in use , the lo 14 transmits an lo signal ( lo_sig ) to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 through a phase shifter 28 , which shifts the phase of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by one of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 by 90 ° compared with the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by the other mixer circuit 16 , 18 . similarly , the antenna 10 receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) which is amplified by the lna 12 . the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is transmitted through the rf ports 20 , 22 to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 , wherein the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is mixed with the lo signal ( lo_sig ). the mixing process down - converts the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) into separate baseband in - phase ( i ) and quadrature phase ( q ) components , wherein the output from each mixer circuit 16 , 18 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency twice that of the lo signal ( lo_sig )). the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 30 , 32 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 16 , 18 and the remaining difference signal is converted into the digital domain by baseband analogue to digital converters ( adc ) 34 , 36 . the resulting digital signal is filtered by high pass filters ( hpf ) 38 , 40 which remove a dc offset signal and low frequency noise to produce output signals i out and q out . for simplicity , the path of an i component through its associated lpf 30 , adc 34 and hpf 38 to produce the i out signal , will be known henceforth as an “ i path ”. similarly , the path of a q component through its associated lpf 32 , adc 36 and hpf 40 to produce the q out signal , will be known henceforth as a “ q path ” 2 . sources of interference in a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver dc offset signals are offset voltages that exist at the baseband frequency . however , since the mixer circuits 16 , 18 directly down - convert an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to the baseband , a dc offset signal can appear as an interfering signal in the resulting i and q components . more particularly , a dc offset signal can arise from lo self mixing which occurs because of the finite isolation ( resulting from capacitive and substrate coupling ) of the lo ports 24 , 26 and the rf ports 20 , 22 of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 . the finite isolation of these ports enables some of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) to leak through the rf ports 20 , 22 ( towards the lna 12 ), whereupon the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is reflected ( because of interface mismatch ) back into the mixer circuits 16 , 18 and mixed with the original lo signal ( lo_sig ) to produce a dc offset signal . similarly , a time - varying dc offset signal is generated if the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is radiated by the lna 12 and subsequently reflected from moving objects back to the receiver 5 . the mixer circuits 16 , 18 provide quadrature mixing which should , in theory , provide infinite attenuation of the foldover of image band energy into the desired signal band . if quadrature mixing is perfect then there is no image foldover . however , in practice , there is always some imbalance between the i and q paths of a receiver , mainly because of the finite tolerances of the capacitance and resistance values of its analogue components . quadrature imbalance corrupts a received signal within a desired channel with a portion of the energy contained within the image band of the desired signal ( and is also known as alternate channel foldover ). to date , elaborate circuitry and dsp techniques have been developed to combat these problems . however , these approaches have limited success ( e . g . dc cancellation is unable to handle variations in a dc offset signal ) and have added to the complexity and cost of zif receivers . the very low intermediate frequency ( vlif ) receiver architecture was developed in an effort to circumvent the problems of dc offset signals and 1 / f noise whilst preserving the advantages of the zif receiver architecture . referring to fig2 , at first glance , a vlif receiver looks very similar to a zif receiver . in particular , a vlif receiver 42 employs an antenna 44 to receive an incoming signal ( rx_sig of frequency f chan ) and an lna 46 to amplify the signal . however , in contrast with the zif receiver ( which directly down - converts an incoming signal to the baseband ), the vlif receiver 42 down - converts ( by mixer circuits 48 , 50 , phase shifter 52 and an lo 54 operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ) the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to a frequency very close to , but not equal to , the baseband . in particular , the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted to an intermediate frequency ( if ) signal ( ifrx_sig ) of frequency ( f vlif ) of approximately 100 khz . the if signal ( ifrx_sig ) is then filtered by low pass filters 56 , 58 , converted to the digital domain by analogue to digital converters 60 , 62 and high pass filtered by filters 64 , 66 . the resulting signal is down - converted to the baseband by digital mixing circuits 68 , 70 , a phase shifter 72 and an lo 74 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). as in the zif receiver , the output from each of the mixer circuits 68 , 70 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency equal to 2 × f vlif ), wherein the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 76 , 78 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 68 , 70 . in theory , the main advantage of the vlif receiver compared to the zif receiver is that since the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted ( by the first mixer circuits 48 , 50 ) to an intermediate frequency , rather than to 0 hz , a dc offset signal does not overlap with the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). consequently , the dc offset signal can be removed by the high pass filters 64 , 66 . nonetheless , in practice , the vlif receiver architecture still experiences problems with dc offset and quadrature imbalance . the high pass filters in a vlif receiver must pass a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) without distortion , whilst removing any dc offset signal and low frequency noise therefrom . however , simulations have shown that when no dc component is present in a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ), the high pass filters 64 , 66 can degrade the performance of a vlif receiver by more than 2 db , because the filters remove some of the energy from the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) itself . however , this problem can be mitigated by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), so that the high pass filters 64 , 66 have less impact on the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). fig3 shows an incoming signal band ( of pass band f pb ) whose central frequency is down - converted to a first intermediate frequency ( f vlif1 ). for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ first down - converted signal band ”. the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 11 , e 12 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif1 − f pb and f vlif1 + f pb respectively . fig3 also shows the same incoming signal band down - converted to a second intermediate frequency ( f vlif2 ), wherein f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif 2 . for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ second down - converted signal band ”. as before , the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 21 , e 22 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif2 − f pb and f vlif2 + f pb . superimposed on these first and second down - converted signal bands , is the amplitude - frequency response of a hypothetical high pass filter ( with notch n ). since f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif2 , the lower band edge ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band , is closer to the notch ( n ) of the high pass filter than the lower band edge ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band . the difference δ 1 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band is 3 . 5 db . similarly , the difference δ 2 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band is 2 . 3 db . generalising from this , it can be seen that the closer the lower band edge of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is to 0 hz , the more the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is attenuated by a high pass filter . to overcome this problem , the amplitude cutoff response of the high pass filter must be steepened . in the case of a finite impulse response ( fir ) filter this approach will rapidly increase the latency of the filter . similarly , with an infinite impulse response ( iir ) filter , both the latency and the non - linearity of the group delay distortion at the high pass filter band edge will increase . however , in a time division multiple access ( tdma ) system such as global system for mobile communications ( gsm ), there are absolute upper limits on the tolerable latency of a receiver &# 39 ; s circuitry . furthermore , the span of samples that can be combined by an equalizer ( e . g . an adaptive filter configured to implement an inverse of a channel frequency response to remove any dispersive filtering effects experienced by a signal between a transmitter and a receiver ) in the baseband modem will dictate the acceptable level of group delay distortion . on the other hand , if the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is too large , the down - converted incoming signal ( rx_sig ) will not pass through the low pass filters of the vlif receiver , without substantial attenuation . thus , the bandwidth of the vlif receiver &# 39 ; s low pass filters , limits the extent to which the intermediate frequency of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) can be moved away from a dc offset signal . reverting to fig2 , quadrature imbalance occurs when the operation of the mixer circuits 48 , 50 permits energy at the image frequencies to leak into the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) and to act as an interference therewith . in particular , the performance of a vlif receiver is very sensitive to blocking signals that are located at an alternate channel ( i . e . the negative vlif ). these blocking signals will ( with quadrature imbalance ) produce images that directly fall within the band of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ). typically , vlif receivers will incorporate a quadrature balancing scheme to minimize these images . however , these schemes are not perfect and always leave some residual quadrature imbalance . in a gsm vlif system where there is a strong adjacent channel interferer to an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), any attempt to increase the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) to overcome dc offset will require an improvement in the receiver &# 39 ; s quadrature balance . thus , the above - mentioned limitations on the ability to eliminate quadrature imbalance will also restrict any increases in the intermediate frequency of the vlif receiver . in view of the above , the choice of a particular intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is driven by a number of conflicting demands including : increasing f vlif to facilitate dc offset removal ; minimising f vlif to minimize the proportion of image energy overlapping with the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( even with a quadrature balancing scheme , the large blockers that can occur in a gsm system mean that this factor is always significant ); and ensuring that f vlif is greater than half the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( to ensure that any residual dc offset does not fall within the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) band . the present embodiment is based on the observation that if little or no interference can be measured in an image band , then quadrature imbalance is unlikely to be a problem in a vlif receiver , since the amount of energy in the image band that could fold over into a desired signal band would not be large enough to form a dominant source of impairment . accordingly , the present embodiment compares the energy in a desired signal band with the energy in a wider band which contains the desired signal band . the result of this comparison indicates whether there is significant energy in the portion of the wider band which is not occupied by the desired signal band . the presence of a significant energy in the unoccupied portion of the wider band can be considered as an indication of the possible presence of energy in the image band . thus , the vlif should be set to a low frequency value . conversely , a failure to detect a significant energy in the unoccupied portion can be used to justify an increase in the vlif . for simplicity , fig4 only shows the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 . however , it will be appreciated that the q path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 has mirroring features to those depicted in fig4 . thus , the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 comprises an antenna 144 which receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), wherein the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is processed by a lna 146 and the resulting signal is downconverted to an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) by a mixer circuit 148 and local oscillator 154 ( operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ). the resulting intermediate frequency signal is filtered by a low pass filter 156 and converted into the digital domain by an adc 160 . the dc offset signal from the resulting digital signal is removed by a high pass filter 164 . as before , the second stage of the downconversion process is performed by a mixer circuit 168 and a local oscillator 174 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). the resulting baseband signal is processed by a low pass filter 176 . in contrast with the prior art vlif receiver , the i and q paths of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 also comprise two energy estimators 82 , 84 which operate under the controller of a control logic unit 86 . the first energy estimator 82 is connected between the high pass filter 164 and the mixer circuit 168 . accordingly , the first energy estimator 82 receives a wideband signal including the desired signal and any interference present . accordingly , the energy ( e c + i ) estimated by the first energy estimator 82 represents the energy of the carrier signal and the interference . the second energy estimator 84 is connected to the output of the low pass filter 176 . the low pass filter 168 is designed to pass only the desired signal . accordingly , the energy ( e c ) estimated by the second energy estimator 84 represents energy of the desired signal only . referring to fig5 together with fig4 , in use , the control logic unit 86 compares 90 the energy estimates generated by the first energy estimator 82 and the second energy estimator 84 to determine whether or not a strong blocker is present . this allows the ratio of the energy of the carrier signal to the energy of the interferers to be estimated . if e c + i ≈ αe c then the interference is very small . thus , even if there is signal energy present in the image band , it would not significantly interfere with the desired signal even if the quadrature imbalance is relatively poor . thus , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) can be increased 92 . by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), the separation between a desired signal and any dc offset signal or low frequency noise is increased . in contrast , if e c + i ≧ αe c , then a very large interference is present in the signal . in other words , if the wideband energy is much larger than the desired signal energy , then there is a possibility that there is significant energy in the image band . thus , there is a possibility of a foldover of some of this energy into the desired signal band ). accordingly , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is maintained 94 at a low , or default , value . in use , any increase in the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is not applied until the next tdma slot allocated to the vlif receiver 80 . the present embodiment provides a mechanism for removing dc offset signals and low frequency noise with minimal impact on a desired signal whilst maintaining acceptable performance in the face of large blockers in the image frequencies . furthermore , the present embodiment provides a technique for dynamically reconfiguring a vlif receiver to ensure optimal performance in view of changes in the rf environment observed at its antenna . finally , the present embodiment provides a control algorithm to dynamically alter an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) in search of improved performance in a manner which has not been used before in a gsm / edge receiver . on another note , the energy comparison approach of the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over a period of time . similarly , when frequency hopping is active , the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over different frequencies . in this case , the control logic unit need only keep track of a currently examined channel and keep independent data for each channel used . in other words , like most cellular communication systems , gsm operates over many frequency channels . when a phone initiates communication with a base station it will be dynamically assigned a channel or number of channels to operate on . the assignment of channels will vary over time . the presence or absence of interfering signals will also change over time . therefore , it is necessary to have a mechanism to keep track of which channels interference is occurring on . for example a gsm phone may be communicating with the base station using two channels that it hops between . if channel a has an associated interferer and channel b does not then it is beneficial to configure the receiver differently for channel than for channel b ). alterations and modifications may be made to the above without departing from the scope of the invention . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Electricity'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | 341adb38f13bec14e2e061a445581ecec915fde1f36a5fc8e83766faac89f067 | 0.207031 | 0.042725 | 0.051025 | 0.005066 | 0.166992 | 0.117676 |
null | referring to fig1 , a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver 5 comprises an antenna 10 connected to a low noise amplifier ( lna ) 12 . the zif receiver 5 further comprises a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 and two mixer circuits 16 , 18 . each mixer circuit 16 , 18 is provided with an rf port 20 , 22 and an lo port 24 , 26 , wherein the rf ports 20 , 22 are connected to the lna 12 and the lo ports 24 , 26 are connected to a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 . in use , the lo 14 transmits an lo signal ( lo_sig ) to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 through a phase shifter 28 , which shifts the phase of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by one of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 by 90 ° compared with the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by the other mixer circuit 16 , 18 . similarly , the antenna 10 receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) which is amplified by the lna 12 . the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is transmitted through the rf ports 20 , 22 to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 , wherein the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is mixed with the lo signal ( lo_sig ). the mixing process down - converts the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) into separate baseband in - phase ( i ) and quadrature phase ( q ) components , wherein the output from each mixer circuit 16 , 18 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency twice that of the lo signal ( lo_sig )). the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 30 , 32 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 16 , 18 and the remaining difference signal is converted into the digital domain by baseband analogue to digital converters ( adc ) 34 , 36 . the resulting digital signal is filtered by high pass filters ( hpf ) 38 , 40 which remove a dc offset signal and low frequency noise to produce output signals i out and q out . for simplicity , the path of an i component through its associated lpf 30 , adc 34 and hpf 38 to produce the i out signal , will be known henceforth as an “ i path ”. similarly , the path of a q component through its associated lpf 32 , adc 36 and hpf 40 to produce the q out signal , will be known henceforth as a “ q path ” 2 . sources of interference in a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver dc offset signals are offset voltages that exist at the baseband frequency . however , since the mixer circuits 16 , 18 directly down - convert an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to the baseband , a dc offset signal can appear as an interfering signal in the resulting i and q components . more particularly , a dc offset signal can arise from lo self mixing which occurs because of the finite isolation ( resulting from capacitive and substrate coupling ) of the lo ports 24 , 26 and the rf ports 20 , 22 of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 . the finite isolation of these ports enables some of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) to leak through the rf ports 20 , 22 ( towards the lna 12 ), whereupon the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is reflected ( because of interface mismatch ) back into the mixer circuits 16 , 18 and mixed with the original lo signal ( lo_sig ) to produce a dc offset signal . similarly , a time - varying dc offset signal is generated if the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is radiated by the lna 12 and subsequently reflected from moving objects back to the receiver 5 . the mixer circuits 16 , 18 provide quadrature mixing which should , in theory , provide infinite attenuation of the foldover of image band energy into the desired signal band . if quadrature mixing is perfect then there is no image foldover . however , in practice , there is always some imbalance between the i and q paths of a receiver , mainly because of the finite tolerances of the capacitance and resistance values of its analogue components . quadrature imbalance corrupts a received signal within a desired channel with a portion of the energy contained within the image band of the desired signal ( and is also known as alternate channel foldover ). to date , elaborate circuitry and dsp techniques have been developed to combat these problems . however , these approaches have limited success ( e . g . dc cancellation is unable to handle variations in a dc offset signal ) and have added to the complexity and cost of zif receivers . the very low intermediate frequency ( vlif ) receiver architecture was developed in an effort to circumvent the problems of dc offset signals and 1 / f noise whilst preserving the advantages of the zif receiver architecture . referring to fig2 , at first glance , a vlif receiver looks very similar to a zif receiver . in particular , a vlif receiver 42 employs an antenna 44 to receive an incoming signal ( rx_sig of frequency f chan ) and an lna 46 to amplify the signal . however , in contrast with the zif receiver ( which directly down - converts an incoming signal to the baseband ), the vlif receiver 42 down - converts ( by mixer circuits 48 , 50 , phase shifter 52 and an lo 54 operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ) the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to a frequency very close to , but not equal to , the baseband . in particular , the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted to an intermediate frequency ( if ) signal ( ifrx_sig ) of frequency ( f vlif ) of approximately 100 khz . the if signal ( ifrx_sig ) is then filtered by low pass filters 56 , 58 , converted to the digital domain by analogue to digital converters 60 , 62 and high pass filtered by filters 64 , 66 . the resulting signal is down - converted to the baseband by digital mixing circuits 68 , 70 , a phase shifter 72 and an lo 74 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). as in the zif receiver , the output from each of the mixer circuits 68 , 70 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency equal to 2 × f vlif ), wherein the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 76 , 78 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 68 , 70 . in theory , the main advantage of the vlif receiver compared to the zif receiver is that since the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted ( by the first mixer circuits 48 , 50 ) to an intermediate frequency , rather than to 0 hz , a dc offset signal does not overlap with the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). consequently , the dc offset signal can be removed by the high pass filters 64 , 66 . nonetheless , in practice , the vlif receiver architecture still experiences problems with dc offset and quadrature imbalance . the high pass filters in a vlif receiver must pass a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) without distortion , whilst removing any dc offset signal and low frequency noise therefrom . however , simulations have shown that when no dc component is present in a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ), the high pass filters 64 , 66 can degrade the performance of a vlif receiver by more than 2 db , because the filters remove some of the energy from the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) itself . however , this problem can be mitigated by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), so that the high pass filters 64 , 66 have less impact on the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). fig3 shows an incoming signal band ( of pass band f pb ) whose central frequency is down - converted to a first intermediate frequency ( f vlif1 ). for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ first down - converted signal band ”. the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 11 , e 12 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif1 − f pb and f vlif1 + f pb respectively . fig3 also shows the same incoming signal band down - converted to a second intermediate frequency ( f vlif2 ), wherein f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif 2 . for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ second down - converted signal band ”. as before , the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 21 , e 22 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif2 − f pb and f vlif2 + f pb . superimposed on these first and second down - converted signal bands , is the amplitude - frequency response of a hypothetical high pass filter ( with notch n ). since f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif2 , the lower band edge ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band , is closer to the notch ( n ) of the high pass filter than the lower band edge ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band . the difference δ 1 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band is 3 . 5 db . similarly , the difference δ 2 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band is 2 . 3 db . generalising from this , it can be seen that the closer the lower band edge of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is to 0 hz , the more the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is attenuated by a high pass filter . to overcome this problem , the amplitude cutoff response of the high pass filter must be steepened . in the case of a finite impulse response ( fir ) filter this approach will rapidly increase the latency of the filter . similarly , with an infinite impulse response ( iir ) filter , both the latency and the non - linearity of the group delay distortion at the high pass filter band edge will increase . however , in a time division multiple access ( tdma ) system such as global system for mobile communications ( gsm ), there are absolute upper limits on the tolerable latency of a receiver &# 39 ; s circuitry . furthermore , the span of samples that can be combined by an equalizer ( e . g . an adaptive filter configured to implement an inverse of a channel frequency response to remove any dispersive filtering effects experienced by a signal between a transmitter and a receiver ) in the baseband modem will dictate the acceptable level of group delay distortion . on the other hand , if the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is too large , the down - converted incoming signal ( rx_sig ) will not pass through the low pass filters of the vlif receiver , without substantial attenuation . thus , the bandwidth of the vlif receiver &# 39 ; s low pass filters , limits the extent to which the intermediate frequency of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) can be moved away from a dc offset signal . reverting to fig2 , quadrature imbalance occurs when the operation of the mixer circuits 48 , 50 permits energy at the image frequencies to leak into the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) and to act as an interference therewith . in particular , the performance of a vlif receiver is very sensitive to blocking signals that are located at an alternate channel ( i . e . the negative vlif ). these blocking signals will ( with quadrature imbalance ) produce images that directly fall within the band of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ). typically , vlif receivers will incorporate a quadrature balancing scheme to minimize these images . however , these schemes are not perfect and always leave some residual quadrature imbalance . in a gsm vlif system where there is a strong adjacent channel interferer to an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), any attempt to increase the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) to overcome dc offset will require an improvement in the receiver &# 39 ; s quadrature balance . thus , the above - mentioned limitations on the ability to eliminate quadrature imbalance will also restrict any increases in the intermediate frequency of the vlif receiver . in view of the above , the choice of a particular intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is driven by a number of conflicting demands including : increasing f vlif to facilitate dc offset removal ; minimising f vlif to minimize the proportion of image energy overlapping with the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( even with a quadrature balancing scheme , the large blockers that can occur in a gsm system mean that this factor is always significant ); and ensuring that f vlif is greater than half the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( to ensure that any residual dc offset does not fall within the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) band . the present embodiment is based on the observation that if little or no interference can be measured in an image band , then quadrature imbalance is unlikely to be a problem in a vlif receiver , since the amount of energy in the image band that could fold over into a desired signal band would not be large enough to form a dominant source of impairment . accordingly , the present embodiment compares the energy in a desired signal band with the energy in a wider band which contains the desired signal band . the result of this comparison indicates whether there is significant energy in the portion of the wider band which is not occupied by the desired signal band . the presence of a significant energy in the unoccupied portion of the wider band can be considered as an indication of the possible presence of energy in the image band . thus , the vlif should be set to a low frequency value . conversely , a failure to detect a significant energy in the unoccupied portion can be used to justify an increase in the vlif . for simplicity , fig4 only shows the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 . however , it will be appreciated that the q path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 has mirroring features to those depicted in fig4 . thus , the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 comprises an antenna 144 which receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), wherein the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is processed by a lna 146 and the resulting signal is downconverted to an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) by a mixer circuit 148 and local oscillator 154 ( operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ). the resulting intermediate frequency signal is filtered by a low pass filter 156 and converted into the digital domain by an adc 160 . the dc offset signal from the resulting digital signal is removed by a high pass filter 164 . as before , the second stage of the downconversion process is performed by a mixer circuit 168 and a local oscillator 174 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). the resulting baseband signal is processed by a low pass filter 176 . in contrast with the prior art vlif receiver , the i and q paths of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 also comprise two energy estimators 82 , 84 which operate under the controller of a control logic unit 86 . the first energy estimator 82 is connected between the high pass filter 164 and the mixer circuit 168 . accordingly , the first energy estimator 82 receives a wideband signal including the desired signal and any interference present . accordingly , the energy ( e c + i ) estimated by the first energy estimator 82 represents the energy of the carrier signal and the interference . the second energy estimator 84 is connected to the output of the low pass filter 176 . the low pass filter 168 is designed to pass only the desired signal . accordingly , the energy ( e c ) estimated by the second energy estimator 84 represents energy of the desired signal only . referring to fig5 together with fig4 , in use , the control logic unit 86 compares 90 the energy estimates generated by the first energy estimator 82 and the second energy estimator 84 to determine whether or not a strong blocker is present . this allows the ratio of the energy of the carrier signal to the energy of the interferers to be estimated . if e c + i ≈ αe c then the interference is very small . thus , even if there is signal energy present in the image band , it would not significantly interfere with the desired signal even if the quadrature imbalance is relatively poor . thus , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) can be increased 92 . by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), the separation between a desired signal and any dc offset signal or low frequency noise is increased . in contrast , if e c + i ≧ αe c , then a very large interference is present in the signal . in other words , if the wideband energy is much larger than the desired signal energy , then there is a possibility that there is significant energy in the image band . thus , there is a possibility of a foldover of some of this energy into the desired signal band ). accordingly , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is maintained 94 at a low , or default , value . in use , any increase in the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is not applied until the next tdma slot allocated to the vlif receiver 80 . the present embodiment provides a mechanism for removing dc offset signals and low frequency noise with minimal impact on a desired signal whilst maintaining acceptable performance in the face of large blockers in the image frequencies . furthermore , the present embodiment provides a technique for dynamically reconfiguring a vlif receiver to ensure optimal performance in view of changes in the rf environment observed at its antenna . finally , the present embodiment provides a control algorithm to dynamically alter an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) in search of improved performance in a manner which has not been used before in a gsm / edge receiver . on another note , the energy comparison approach of the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over a period of time . similarly , when frequency hopping is active , the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over different frequencies . in this case , the control logic unit need only keep track of a currently examined channel and keep independent data for each channel used . in other words , like most cellular communication systems , gsm operates over many frequency channels . when a phone initiates communication with a base station it will be dynamically assigned a channel or number of channels to operate on . the assignment of channels will vary over time . the presence or absence of interfering signals will also change over time . therefore , it is necessary to have a mechanism to keep track of which channels interference is occurring on . for example a gsm phone may be communicating with the base station using two channels that it hops between . if channel a has an associated interferer and channel b does not then it is beneficial to configure the receiver differently for channel than for channel b ). alterations and modifications may be made to the above without departing from the scope of the invention . | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | 341adb38f13bec14e2e061a445581ecec915fde1f36a5fc8e83766faac89f067 | 0.251953 | 0.003372 | 0.067383 | 0.000018 | 0.143555 | 0.002884 |
null | referring to fig1 , a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver 5 comprises an antenna 10 connected to a low noise amplifier ( lna ) 12 . the zif receiver 5 further comprises a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 and two mixer circuits 16 , 18 . each mixer circuit 16 , 18 is provided with an rf port 20 , 22 and an lo port 24 , 26 , wherein the rf ports 20 , 22 are connected to the lna 12 and the lo ports 24 , 26 are connected to a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 . in use , the lo 14 transmits an lo signal ( lo_sig ) to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 through a phase shifter 28 , which shifts the phase of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by one of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 by 90 ° compared with the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by the other mixer circuit 16 , 18 . similarly , the antenna 10 receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) which is amplified by the lna 12 . the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is transmitted through the rf ports 20 , 22 to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 , wherein the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is mixed with the lo signal ( lo_sig ). the mixing process down - converts the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) into separate baseband in - phase ( i ) and quadrature phase ( q ) components , wherein the output from each mixer circuit 16 , 18 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency twice that of the lo signal ( lo_sig )). the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 30 , 32 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 16 , 18 and the remaining difference signal is converted into the digital domain by baseband analogue to digital converters ( adc ) 34 , 36 . the resulting digital signal is filtered by high pass filters ( hpf ) 38 , 40 which remove a dc offset signal and low frequency noise to produce output signals i out and q out . for simplicity , the path of an i component through its associated lpf 30 , adc 34 and hpf 38 to produce the i out signal , will be known henceforth as an “ i path ”. similarly , the path of a q component through its associated lpf 32 , adc 36 and hpf 40 to produce the q out signal , will be known henceforth as a “ q path ” 2 . sources of interference in a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver dc offset signals are offset voltages that exist at the baseband frequency . however , since the mixer circuits 16 , 18 directly down - convert an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to the baseband , a dc offset signal can appear as an interfering signal in the resulting i and q components . more particularly , a dc offset signal can arise from lo self mixing which occurs because of the finite isolation ( resulting from capacitive and substrate coupling ) of the lo ports 24 , 26 and the rf ports 20 , 22 of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 . the finite isolation of these ports enables some of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) to leak through the rf ports 20 , 22 ( towards the lna 12 ), whereupon the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is reflected ( because of interface mismatch ) back into the mixer circuits 16 , 18 and mixed with the original lo signal ( lo_sig ) to produce a dc offset signal . similarly , a time - varying dc offset signal is generated if the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is radiated by the lna 12 and subsequently reflected from moving objects back to the receiver 5 . the mixer circuits 16 , 18 provide quadrature mixing which should , in theory , provide infinite attenuation of the foldover of image band energy into the desired signal band . if quadrature mixing is perfect then there is no image foldover . however , in practice , there is always some imbalance between the i and q paths of a receiver , mainly because of the finite tolerances of the capacitance and resistance values of its analogue components . quadrature imbalance corrupts a received signal within a desired channel with a portion of the energy contained within the image band of the desired signal ( and is also known as alternate channel foldover ). to date , elaborate circuitry and dsp techniques have been developed to combat these problems . however , these approaches have limited success ( e . g . dc cancellation is unable to handle variations in a dc offset signal ) and have added to the complexity and cost of zif receivers . the very low intermediate frequency ( vlif ) receiver architecture was developed in an effort to circumvent the problems of dc offset signals and 1 / f noise whilst preserving the advantages of the zif receiver architecture . referring to fig2 , at first glance , a vlif receiver looks very similar to a zif receiver . in particular , a vlif receiver 42 employs an antenna 44 to receive an incoming signal ( rx_sig of frequency f chan ) and an lna 46 to amplify the signal . however , in contrast with the zif receiver ( which directly down - converts an incoming signal to the baseband ), the vlif receiver 42 down - converts ( by mixer circuits 48 , 50 , phase shifter 52 and an lo 54 operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ) the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to a frequency very close to , but not equal to , the baseband . in particular , the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted to an intermediate frequency ( if ) signal ( ifrx_sig ) of frequency ( f vlif ) of approximately 100 khz . the if signal ( ifrx_sig ) is then filtered by low pass filters 56 , 58 , converted to the digital domain by analogue to digital converters 60 , 62 and high pass filtered by filters 64 , 66 . the resulting signal is down - converted to the baseband by digital mixing circuits 68 , 70 , a phase shifter 72 and an lo 74 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). as in the zif receiver , the output from each of the mixer circuits 68 , 70 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency equal to 2 × f vlif ), wherein the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 76 , 78 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 68 , 70 . in theory , the main advantage of the vlif receiver compared to the zif receiver is that since the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted ( by the first mixer circuits 48 , 50 ) to an intermediate frequency , rather than to 0 hz , a dc offset signal does not overlap with the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). consequently , the dc offset signal can be removed by the high pass filters 64 , 66 . nonetheless , in practice , the vlif receiver architecture still experiences problems with dc offset and quadrature imbalance . the high pass filters in a vlif receiver must pass a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) without distortion , whilst removing any dc offset signal and low frequency noise therefrom . however , simulations have shown that when no dc component is present in a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ), the high pass filters 64 , 66 can degrade the performance of a vlif receiver by more than 2 db , because the filters remove some of the energy from the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) itself . however , this problem can be mitigated by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), so that the high pass filters 64 , 66 have less impact on the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). fig3 shows an incoming signal band ( of pass band f pb ) whose central frequency is down - converted to a first intermediate frequency ( f vlif1 ). for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ first down - converted signal band ”. the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 11 , e 12 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif1 − f pb and f vlif1 + f pb respectively . fig3 also shows the same incoming signal band down - converted to a second intermediate frequency ( f vlif2 ), wherein f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif 2 . for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ second down - converted signal band ”. as before , the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 21 , e 22 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif2 − f pb and f vlif2 + f pb . superimposed on these first and second down - converted signal bands , is the amplitude - frequency response of a hypothetical high pass filter ( with notch n ). since f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif2 , the lower band edge ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band , is closer to the notch ( n ) of the high pass filter than the lower band edge ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band . the difference δ 1 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band is 3 . 5 db . similarly , the difference δ 2 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band is 2 . 3 db . generalising from this , it can be seen that the closer the lower band edge of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is to 0 hz , the more the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is attenuated by a high pass filter . to overcome this problem , the amplitude cutoff response of the high pass filter must be steepened . in the case of a finite impulse response ( fir ) filter this approach will rapidly increase the latency of the filter . similarly , with an infinite impulse response ( iir ) filter , both the latency and the non - linearity of the group delay distortion at the high pass filter band edge will increase . however , in a time division multiple access ( tdma ) system such as global system for mobile communications ( gsm ), there are absolute upper limits on the tolerable latency of a receiver &# 39 ; s circuitry . furthermore , the span of samples that can be combined by an equalizer ( e . g . an adaptive filter configured to implement an inverse of a channel frequency response to remove any dispersive filtering effects experienced by a signal between a transmitter and a receiver ) in the baseband modem will dictate the acceptable level of group delay distortion . on the other hand , if the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is too large , the down - converted incoming signal ( rx_sig ) will not pass through the low pass filters of the vlif receiver , without substantial attenuation . thus , the bandwidth of the vlif receiver &# 39 ; s low pass filters , limits the extent to which the intermediate frequency of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) can be moved away from a dc offset signal . reverting to fig2 , quadrature imbalance occurs when the operation of the mixer circuits 48 , 50 permits energy at the image frequencies to leak into the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) and to act as an interference therewith . in particular , the performance of a vlif receiver is very sensitive to blocking signals that are located at an alternate channel ( i . e . the negative vlif ). these blocking signals will ( with quadrature imbalance ) produce images that directly fall within the band of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ). typically , vlif receivers will incorporate a quadrature balancing scheme to minimize these images . however , these schemes are not perfect and always leave some residual quadrature imbalance . in a gsm vlif system where there is a strong adjacent channel interferer to an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), any attempt to increase the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) to overcome dc offset will require an improvement in the receiver &# 39 ; s quadrature balance . thus , the above - mentioned limitations on the ability to eliminate quadrature imbalance will also restrict any increases in the intermediate frequency of the vlif receiver . in view of the above , the choice of a particular intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is driven by a number of conflicting demands including : increasing f vlif to facilitate dc offset removal ; minimising f vlif to minimize the proportion of image energy overlapping with the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( even with a quadrature balancing scheme , the large blockers that can occur in a gsm system mean that this factor is always significant ); and ensuring that f vlif is greater than half the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( to ensure that any residual dc offset does not fall within the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) band . the present embodiment is based on the observation that if little or no interference can be measured in an image band , then quadrature imbalance is unlikely to be a problem in a vlif receiver , since the amount of energy in the image band that could fold over into a desired signal band would not be large enough to form a dominant source of impairment . accordingly , the present embodiment compares the energy in a desired signal band with the energy in a wider band which contains the desired signal band . the result of this comparison indicates whether there is significant energy in the portion of the wider band which is not occupied by the desired signal band . the presence of a significant energy in the unoccupied portion of the wider band can be considered as an indication of the possible presence of energy in the image band . thus , the vlif should be set to a low frequency value . conversely , a failure to detect a significant energy in the unoccupied portion can be used to justify an increase in the vlif . for simplicity , fig4 only shows the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 . however , it will be appreciated that the q path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 has mirroring features to those depicted in fig4 . thus , the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 comprises an antenna 144 which receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), wherein the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is processed by a lna 146 and the resulting signal is downconverted to an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) by a mixer circuit 148 and local oscillator 154 ( operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ). the resulting intermediate frequency signal is filtered by a low pass filter 156 and converted into the digital domain by an adc 160 . the dc offset signal from the resulting digital signal is removed by a high pass filter 164 . as before , the second stage of the downconversion process is performed by a mixer circuit 168 and a local oscillator 174 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). the resulting baseband signal is processed by a low pass filter 176 . in contrast with the prior art vlif receiver , the i and q paths of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 also comprise two energy estimators 82 , 84 which operate under the controller of a control logic unit 86 . the first energy estimator 82 is connected between the high pass filter 164 and the mixer circuit 168 . accordingly , the first energy estimator 82 receives a wideband signal including the desired signal and any interference present . accordingly , the energy ( e c + i ) estimated by the first energy estimator 82 represents the energy of the carrier signal and the interference . the second energy estimator 84 is connected to the output of the low pass filter 176 . the low pass filter 168 is designed to pass only the desired signal . accordingly , the energy ( e c ) estimated by the second energy estimator 84 represents energy of the desired signal only . referring to fig5 together with fig4 , in use , the control logic unit 86 compares 90 the energy estimates generated by the first energy estimator 82 and the second energy estimator 84 to determine whether or not a strong blocker is present . this allows the ratio of the energy of the carrier signal to the energy of the interferers to be estimated . if e c + i ≈ αe c then the interference is very small . thus , even if there is signal energy present in the image band , it would not significantly interfere with the desired signal even if the quadrature imbalance is relatively poor . thus , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) can be increased 92 . by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), the separation between a desired signal and any dc offset signal or low frequency noise is increased . in contrast , if e c + i ≧ αe c , then a very large interference is present in the signal . in other words , if the wideband energy is much larger than the desired signal energy , then there is a possibility that there is significant energy in the image band . thus , there is a possibility of a foldover of some of this energy into the desired signal band ). accordingly , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is maintained 94 at a low , or default , value . in use , any increase in the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is not applied until the next tdma slot allocated to the vlif receiver 80 . the present embodiment provides a mechanism for removing dc offset signals and low frequency noise with minimal impact on a desired signal whilst maintaining acceptable performance in the face of large blockers in the image frequencies . furthermore , the present embodiment provides a technique for dynamically reconfiguring a vlif receiver to ensure optimal performance in view of changes in the rf environment observed at its antenna . finally , the present embodiment provides a control algorithm to dynamically alter an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) in search of improved performance in a manner which has not been used before in a gsm / edge receiver . on another note , the energy comparison approach of the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over a period of time . similarly , when frequency hopping is active , the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over different frequencies . in this case , the control logic unit need only keep track of a currently examined channel and keep independent data for each channel used . in other words , like most cellular communication systems , gsm operates over many frequency channels . when a phone initiates communication with a base station it will be dynamically assigned a channel or number of channels to operate on . the assignment of channels will vary over time . the presence or absence of interfering signals will also change over time . therefore , it is necessary to have a mechanism to keep track of which channels interference is occurring on . for example a gsm phone may be communicating with the base station using two channels that it hops between . if channel a has an associated interferer and channel b does not then it is beneficial to configure the receiver differently for channel than for channel b ). alterations and modifications may be made to the above without departing from the scope of the invention . | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | 341adb38f13bec14e2e061a445581ecec915fde1f36a5fc8e83766faac89f067 | 0.251953 | 0.003601 | 0.067383 | 0.000149 | 0.143555 | 0.041992 |
null | referring to fig1 , a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver 5 comprises an antenna 10 connected to a low noise amplifier ( lna ) 12 . the zif receiver 5 further comprises a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 and two mixer circuits 16 , 18 . each mixer circuit 16 , 18 is provided with an rf port 20 , 22 and an lo port 24 , 26 , wherein the rf ports 20 , 22 are connected to the lna 12 and the lo ports 24 , 26 are connected to a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 . in use , the lo 14 transmits an lo signal ( lo_sig ) to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 through a phase shifter 28 , which shifts the phase of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by one of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 by 90 ° compared with the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by the other mixer circuit 16 , 18 . similarly , the antenna 10 receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) which is amplified by the lna 12 . the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is transmitted through the rf ports 20 , 22 to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 , wherein the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is mixed with the lo signal ( lo_sig ). the mixing process down - converts the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) into separate baseband in - phase ( i ) and quadrature phase ( q ) components , wherein the output from each mixer circuit 16 , 18 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency twice that of the lo signal ( lo_sig )). the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 30 , 32 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 16 , 18 and the remaining difference signal is converted into the digital domain by baseband analogue to digital converters ( adc ) 34 , 36 . the resulting digital signal is filtered by high pass filters ( hpf ) 38 , 40 which remove a dc offset signal and low frequency noise to produce output signals i out and q out . for simplicity , the path of an i component through its associated lpf 30 , adc 34 and hpf 38 to produce the i out signal , will be known henceforth as an “ i path ”. similarly , the path of a q component through its associated lpf 32 , adc 36 and hpf 40 to produce the q out signal , will be known henceforth as a “ q path ” 2 . sources of interference in a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver dc offset signals are offset voltages that exist at the baseband frequency . however , since the mixer circuits 16 , 18 directly down - convert an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to the baseband , a dc offset signal can appear as an interfering signal in the resulting i and q components . more particularly , a dc offset signal can arise from lo self mixing which occurs because of the finite isolation ( resulting from capacitive and substrate coupling ) of the lo ports 24 , 26 and the rf ports 20 , 22 of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 . the finite isolation of these ports enables some of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) to leak through the rf ports 20 , 22 ( towards the lna 12 ), whereupon the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is reflected ( because of interface mismatch ) back into the mixer circuits 16 , 18 and mixed with the original lo signal ( lo_sig ) to produce a dc offset signal . similarly , a time - varying dc offset signal is generated if the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is radiated by the lna 12 and subsequently reflected from moving objects back to the receiver 5 . the mixer circuits 16 , 18 provide quadrature mixing which should , in theory , provide infinite attenuation of the foldover of image band energy into the desired signal band . if quadrature mixing is perfect then there is no image foldover . however , in practice , there is always some imbalance between the i and q paths of a receiver , mainly because of the finite tolerances of the capacitance and resistance values of its analogue components . quadrature imbalance corrupts a received signal within a desired channel with a portion of the energy contained within the image band of the desired signal ( and is also known as alternate channel foldover ). to date , elaborate circuitry and dsp techniques have been developed to combat these problems . however , these approaches have limited success ( e . g . dc cancellation is unable to handle variations in a dc offset signal ) and have added to the complexity and cost of zif receivers . the very low intermediate frequency ( vlif ) receiver architecture was developed in an effort to circumvent the problems of dc offset signals and 1 / f noise whilst preserving the advantages of the zif receiver architecture . referring to fig2 , at first glance , a vlif receiver looks very similar to a zif receiver . in particular , a vlif receiver 42 employs an antenna 44 to receive an incoming signal ( rx_sig of frequency f chan ) and an lna 46 to amplify the signal . however , in contrast with the zif receiver ( which directly down - converts an incoming signal to the baseband ), the vlif receiver 42 down - converts ( by mixer circuits 48 , 50 , phase shifter 52 and an lo 54 operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ) the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to a frequency very close to , but not equal to , the baseband . in particular , the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted to an intermediate frequency ( if ) signal ( ifrx_sig ) of frequency ( f vlif ) of approximately 100 khz . the if signal ( ifrx_sig ) is then filtered by low pass filters 56 , 58 , converted to the digital domain by analogue to digital converters 60 , 62 and high pass filtered by filters 64 , 66 . the resulting signal is down - converted to the baseband by digital mixing circuits 68 , 70 , a phase shifter 72 and an lo 74 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). as in the zif receiver , the output from each of the mixer circuits 68 , 70 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency equal to 2 × f vlif ), wherein the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 76 , 78 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 68 , 70 . in theory , the main advantage of the vlif receiver compared to the zif receiver is that since the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted ( by the first mixer circuits 48 , 50 ) to an intermediate frequency , rather than to 0 hz , a dc offset signal does not overlap with the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). consequently , the dc offset signal can be removed by the high pass filters 64 , 66 . nonetheless , in practice , the vlif receiver architecture still experiences problems with dc offset and quadrature imbalance . the high pass filters in a vlif receiver must pass a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) without distortion , whilst removing any dc offset signal and low frequency noise therefrom . however , simulations have shown that when no dc component is present in a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ), the high pass filters 64 , 66 can degrade the performance of a vlif receiver by more than 2 db , because the filters remove some of the energy from the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) itself . however , this problem can be mitigated by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), so that the high pass filters 64 , 66 have less impact on the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). fig3 shows an incoming signal band ( of pass band f pb ) whose central frequency is down - converted to a first intermediate frequency ( f vlif1 ). for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ first down - converted signal band ”. the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 11 , e 12 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif1 − f pb and f vlif1 + f pb respectively . fig3 also shows the same incoming signal band down - converted to a second intermediate frequency ( f vlif2 ), wherein f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif 2 . for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ second down - converted signal band ”. as before , the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 21 , e 22 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif2 − f pb and f vlif2 + f pb . superimposed on these first and second down - converted signal bands , is the amplitude - frequency response of a hypothetical high pass filter ( with notch n ). since f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif2 , the lower band edge ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band , is closer to the notch ( n ) of the high pass filter than the lower band edge ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band . the difference δ 1 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band is 3 . 5 db . similarly , the difference δ 2 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band is 2 . 3 db . generalising from this , it can be seen that the closer the lower band edge of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is to 0 hz , the more the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is attenuated by a high pass filter . to overcome this problem , the amplitude cutoff response of the high pass filter must be steepened . in the case of a finite impulse response ( fir ) filter this approach will rapidly increase the latency of the filter . similarly , with an infinite impulse response ( iir ) filter , both the latency and the non - linearity of the group delay distortion at the high pass filter band edge will increase . however , in a time division multiple access ( tdma ) system such as global system for mobile communications ( gsm ), there are absolute upper limits on the tolerable latency of a receiver &# 39 ; s circuitry . furthermore , the span of samples that can be combined by an equalizer ( e . g . an adaptive filter configured to implement an inverse of a channel frequency response to remove any dispersive filtering effects experienced by a signal between a transmitter and a receiver ) in the baseband modem will dictate the acceptable level of group delay distortion . on the other hand , if the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is too large , the down - converted incoming signal ( rx_sig ) will not pass through the low pass filters of the vlif receiver , without substantial attenuation . thus , the bandwidth of the vlif receiver &# 39 ; s low pass filters , limits the extent to which the intermediate frequency of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) can be moved away from a dc offset signal . reverting to fig2 , quadrature imbalance occurs when the operation of the mixer circuits 48 , 50 permits energy at the image frequencies to leak into the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) and to act as an interference therewith . in particular , the performance of a vlif receiver is very sensitive to blocking signals that are located at an alternate channel ( i . e . the negative vlif ). these blocking signals will ( with quadrature imbalance ) produce images that directly fall within the band of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ). typically , vlif receivers will incorporate a quadrature balancing scheme to minimize these images . however , these schemes are not perfect and always leave some residual quadrature imbalance . in a gsm vlif system where there is a strong adjacent channel interferer to an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), any attempt to increase the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) to overcome dc offset will require an improvement in the receiver &# 39 ; s quadrature balance . thus , the above - mentioned limitations on the ability to eliminate quadrature imbalance will also restrict any increases in the intermediate frequency of the vlif receiver . in view of the above , the choice of a particular intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is driven by a number of conflicting demands including : increasing f vlif to facilitate dc offset removal ; minimising f vlif to minimize the proportion of image energy overlapping with the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( even with a quadrature balancing scheme , the large blockers that can occur in a gsm system mean that this factor is always significant ); and ensuring that f vlif is greater than half the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( to ensure that any residual dc offset does not fall within the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) band . the present embodiment is based on the observation that if little or no interference can be measured in an image band , then quadrature imbalance is unlikely to be a problem in a vlif receiver , since the amount of energy in the image band that could fold over into a desired signal band would not be large enough to form a dominant source of impairment . accordingly , the present embodiment compares the energy in a desired signal band with the energy in a wider band which contains the desired signal band . the result of this comparison indicates whether there is significant energy in the portion of the wider band which is not occupied by the desired signal band . the presence of a significant energy in the unoccupied portion of the wider band can be considered as an indication of the possible presence of energy in the image band . thus , the vlif should be set to a low frequency value . conversely , a failure to detect a significant energy in the unoccupied portion can be used to justify an increase in the vlif . for simplicity , fig4 only shows the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 . however , it will be appreciated that the q path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 has mirroring features to those depicted in fig4 . thus , the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 comprises an antenna 144 which receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), wherein the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is processed by a lna 146 and the resulting signal is downconverted to an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) by a mixer circuit 148 and local oscillator 154 ( operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ). the resulting intermediate frequency signal is filtered by a low pass filter 156 and converted into the digital domain by an adc 160 . the dc offset signal from the resulting digital signal is removed by a high pass filter 164 . as before , the second stage of the downconversion process is performed by a mixer circuit 168 and a local oscillator 174 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). the resulting baseband signal is processed by a low pass filter 176 . in contrast with the prior art vlif receiver , the i and q paths of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 also comprise two energy estimators 82 , 84 which operate under the controller of a control logic unit 86 . the first energy estimator 82 is connected between the high pass filter 164 and the mixer circuit 168 . accordingly , the first energy estimator 82 receives a wideband signal including the desired signal and any interference present . accordingly , the energy ( e c + i ) estimated by the first energy estimator 82 represents the energy of the carrier signal and the interference . the second energy estimator 84 is connected to the output of the low pass filter 176 . the low pass filter 168 is designed to pass only the desired signal . accordingly , the energy ( e c ) estimated by the second energy estimator 84 represents energy of the desired signal only . referring to fig5 together with fig4 , in use , the control logic unit 86 compares 90 the energy estimates generated by the first energy estimator 82 and the second energy estimator 84 to determine whether or not a strong blocker is present . this allows the ratio of the energy of the carrier signal to the energy of the interferers to be estimated . if e c + i ≈ αe c then the interference is very small . thus , even if there is signal energy present in the image band , it would not significantly interfere with the desired signal even if the quadrature imbalance is relatively poor . thus , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) can be increased 92 . by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), the separation between a desired signal and any dc offset signal or low frequency noise is increased . in contrast , if e c + i ≧ αe c , then a very large interference is present in the signal . in other words , if the wideband energy is much larger than the desired signal energy , then there is a possibility that there is significant energy in the image band . thus , there is a possibility of a foldover of some of this energy into the desired signal band ). accordingly , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is maintained 94 at a low , or default , value . in use , any increase in the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is not applied until the next tdma slot allocated to the vlif receiver 80 . the present embodiment provides a mechanism for removing dc offset signals and low frequency noise with minimal impact on a desired signal whilst maintaining acceptable performance in the face of large blockers in the image frequencies . furthermore , the present embodiment provides a technique for dynamically reconfiguring a vlif receiver to ensure optimal performance in view of changes in the rf environment observed at its antenna . finally , the present embodiment provides a control algorithm to dynamically alter an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) in search of improved performance in a manner which has not been used before in a gsm / edge receiver . on another note , the energy comparison approach of the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over a period of time . similarly , when frequency hopping is active , the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over different frequencies . in this case , the control logic unit need only keep track of a currently examined channel and keep independent data for each channel used . in other words , like most cellular communication systems , gsm operates over many frequency channels . when a phone initiates communication with a base station it will be dynamically assigned a channel or number of channels to operate on . the assignment of channels will vary over time . the presence or absence of interfering signals will also change over time . therefore , it is necessary to have a mechanism to keep track of which channels interference is occurring on . for example a gsm phone may be communicating with the base station using two channels that it hops between . if channel a has an associated interferer and channel b does not then it is beneficial to configure the receiver differently for channel than for channel b ). alterations and modifications may be made to the above without departing from the scope of the invention . | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | 341adb38f13bec14e2e061a445581ecec915fde1f36a5fc8e83766faac89f067 | 0.249023 | 0.022949 | 0.067383 | 0.072754 | 0.143555 | 0.204102 |
null | referring to fig1 , a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver 5 comprises an antenna 10 connected to a low noise amplifier ( lna ) 12 . the zif receiver 5 further comprises a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 and two mixer circuits 16 , 18 . each mixer circuit 16 , 18 is provided with an rf port 20 , 22 and an lo port 24 , 26 , wherein the rf ports 20 , 22 are connected to the lna 12 and the lo ports 24 , 26 are connected to a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 . in use , the lo 14 transmits an lo signal ( lo_sig ) to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 through a phase shifter 28 , which shifts the phase of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by one of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 by 90 ° compared with the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by the other mixer circuit 16 , 18 . similarly , the antenna 10 receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) which is amplified by the lna 12 . the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is transmitted through the rf ports 20 , 22 to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 , wherein the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is mixed with the lo signal ( lo_sig ). the mixing process down - converts the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) into separate baseband in - phase ( i ) and quadrature phase ( q ) components , wherein the output from each mixer circuit 16 , 18 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency twice that of the lo signal ( lo_sig )). the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 30 , 32 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 16 , 18 and the remaining difference signal is converted into the digital domain by baseband analogue to digital converters ( adc ) 34 , 36 . the resulting digital signal is filtered by high pass filters ( hpf ) 38 , 40 which remove a dc offset signal and low frequency noise to produce output signals i out and q out . for simplicity , the path of an i component through its associated lpf 30 , adc 34 and hpf 38 to produce the i out signal , will be known henceforth as an “ i path ”. similarly , the path of a q component through its associated lpf 32 , adc 36 and hpf 40 to produce the q out signal , will be known henceforth as a “ q path ” 2 . sources of interference in a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver dc offset signals are offset voltages that exist at the baseband frequency . however , since the mixer circuits 16 , 18 directly down - convert an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to the baseband , a dc offset signal can appear as an interfering signal in the resulting i and q components . more particularly , a dc offset signal can arise from lo self mixing which occurs because of the finite isolation ( resulting from capacitive and substrate coupling ) of the lo ports 24 , 26 and the rf ports 20 , 22 of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 . the finite isolation of these ports enables some of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) to leak through the rf ports 20 , 22 ( towards the lna 12 ), whereupon the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is reflected ( because of interface mismatch ) back into the mixer circuits 16 , 18 and mixed with the original lo signal ( lo_sig ) to produce a dc offset signal . similarly , a time - varying dc offset signal is generated if the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is radiated by the lna 12 and subsequently reflected from moving objects back to the receiver 5 . the mixer circuits 16 , 18 provide quadrature mixing which should , in theory , provide infinite attenuation of the foldover of image band energy into the desired signal band . if quadrature mixing is perfect then there is no image foldover . however , in practice , there is always some imbalance between the i and q paths of a receiver , mainly because of the finite tolerances of the capacitance and resistance values of its analogue components . quadrature imbalance corrupts a received signal within a desired channel with a portion of the energy contained within the image band of the desired signal ( and is also known as alternate channel foldover ). to date , elaborate circuitry and dsp techniques have been developed to combat these problems . however , these approaches have limited success ( e . g . dc cancellation is unable to handle variations in a dc offset signal ) and have added to the complexity and cost of zif receivers . the very low intermediate frequency ( vlif ) receiver architecture was developed in an effort to circumvent the problems of dc offset signals and 1 / f noise whilst preserving the advantages of the zif receiver architecture . referring to fig2 , at first glance , a vlif receiver looks very similar to a zif receiver . in particular , a vlif receiver 42 employs an antenna 44 to receive an incoming signal ( rx_sig of frequency f chan ) and an lna 46 to amplify the signal . however , in contrast with the zif receiver ( which directly down - converts an incoming signal to the baseband ), the vlif receiver 42 down - converts ( by mixer circuits 48 , 50 , phase shifter 52 and an lo 54 operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ) the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to a frequency very close to , but not equal to , the baseband . in particular , the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted to an intermediate frequency ( if ) signal ( ifrx_sig ) of frequency ( f vlif ) of approximately 100 khz . the if signal ( ifrx_sig ) is then filtered by low pass filters 56 , 58 , converted to the digital domain by analogue to digital converters 60 , 62 and high pass filtered by filters 64 , 66 . the resulting signal is down - converted to the baseband by digital mixing circuits 68 , 70 , a phase shifter 72 and an lo 74 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). as in the zif receiver , the output from each of the mixer circuits 68 , 70 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency equal to 2 × f vlif ), wherein the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 76 , 78 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 68 , 70 . in theory , the main advantage of the vlif receiver compared to the zif receiver is that since the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted ( by the first mixer circuits 48 , 50 ) to an intermediate frequency , rather than to 0 hz , a dc offset signal does not overlap with the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). consequently , the dc offset signal can be removed by the high pass filters 64 , 66 . nonetheless , in practice , the vlif receiver architecture still experiences problems with dc offset and quadrature imbalance . the high pass filters in a vlif receiver must pass a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) without distortion , whilst removing any dc offset signal and low frequency noise therefrom . however , simulations have shown that when no dc component is present in a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ), the high pass filters 64 , 66 can degrade the performance of a vlif receiver by more than 2 db , because the filters remove some of the energy from the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) itself . however , this problem can be mitigated by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), so that the high pass filters 64 , 66 have less impact on the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). fig3 shows an incoming signal band ( of pass band f pb ) whose central frequency is down - converted to a first intermediate frequency ( f vlif1 ). for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ first down - converted signal band ”. the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 11 , e 12 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif1 − f pb and f vlif1 + f pb respectively . fig3 also shows the same incoming signal band down - converted to a second intermediate frequency ( f vlif2 ), wherein f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif 2 . for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ second down - converted signal band ”. as before , the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 21 , e 22 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif2 − f pb and f vlif2 + f pb . superimposed on these first and second down - converted signal bands , is the amplitude - frequency response of a hypothetical high pass filter ( with notch n ). since f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif2 , the lower band edge ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band , is closer to the notch ( n ) of the high pass filter than the lower band edge ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band . the difference δ 1 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band is 3 . 5 db . similarly , the difference δ 2 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band is 2 . 3 db . generalising from this , it can be seen that the closer the lower band edge of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is to 0 hz , the more the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is attenuated by a high pass filter . to overcome this problem , the amplitude cutoff response of the high pass filter must be steepened . in the case of a finite impulse response ( fir ) filter this approach will rapidly increase the latency of the filter . similarly , with an infinite impulse response ( iir ) filter , both the latency and the non - linearity of the group delay distortion at the high pass filter band edge will increase . however , in a time division multiple access ( tdma ) system such as global system for mobile communications ( gsm ), there are absolute upper limits on the tolerable latency of a receiver &# 39 ; s circuitry . furthermore , the span of samples that can be combined by an equalizer ( e . g . an adaptive filter configured to implement an inverse of a channel frequency response to remove any dispersive filtering effects experienced by a signal between a transmitter and a receiver ) in the baseband modem will dictate the acceptable level of group delay distortion . on the other hand , if the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is too large , the down - converted incoming signal ( rx_sig ) will not pass through the low pass filters of the vlif receiver , without substantial attenuation . thus , the bandwidth of the vlif receiver &# 39 ; s low pass filters , limits the extent to which the intermediate frequency of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) can be moved away from a dc offset signal . reverting to fig2 , quadrature imbalance occurs when the operation of the mixer circuits 48 , 50 permits energy at the image frequencies to leak into the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) and to act as an interference therewith . in particular , the performance of a vlif receiver is very sensitive to blocking signals that are located at an alternate channel ( i . e . the negative vlif ). these blocking signals will ( with quadrature imbalance ) produce images that directly fall within the band of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ). typically , vlif receivers will incorporate a quadrature balancing scheme to minimize these images . however , these schemes are not perfect and always leave some residual quadrature imbalance . in a gsm vlif system where there is a strong adjacent channel interferer to an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), any attempt to increase the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) to overcome dc offset will require an improvement in the receiver &# 39 ; s quadrature balance . thus , the above - mentioned limitations on the ability to eliminate quadrature imbalance will also restrict any increases in the intermediate frequency of the vlif receiver . in view of the above , the choice of a particular intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is driven by a number of conflicting demands including : increasing f vlif to facilitate dc offset removal ; minimising f vlif to minimize the proportion of image energy overlapping with the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( even with a quadrature balancing scheme , the large blockers that can occur in a gsm system mean that this factor is always significant ); and ensuring that f vlif is greater than half the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( to ensure that any residual dc offset does not fall within the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) band . the present embodiment is based on the observation that if little or no interference can be measured in an image band , then quadrature imbalance is unlikely to be a problem in a vlif receiver , since the amount of energy in the image band that could fold over into a desired signal band would not be large enough to form a dominant source of impairment . accordingly , the present embodiment compares the energy in a desired signal band with the energy in a wider band which contains the desired signal band . the result of this comparison indicates whether there is significant energy in the portion of the wider band which is not occupied by the desired signal band . the presence of a significant energy in the unoccupied portion of the wider band can be considered as an indication of the possible presence of energy in the image band . thus , the vlif should be set to a low frequency value . conversely , a failure to detect a significant energy in the unoccupied portion can be used to justify an increase in the vlif . for simplicity , fig4 only shows the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 . however , it will be appreciated that the q path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 has mirroring features to those depicted in fig4 . thus , the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 comprises an antenna 144 which receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), wherein the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is processed by a lna 146 and the resulting signal is downconverted to an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) by a mixer circuit 148 and local oscillator 154 ( operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ). the resulting intermediate frequency signal is filtered by a low pass filter 156 and converted into the digital domain by an adc 160 . the dc offset signal from the resulting digital signal is removed by a high pass filter 164 . as before , the second stage of the downconversion process is performed by a mixer circuit 168 and a local oscillator 174 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). the resulting baseband signal is processed by a low pass filter 176 . in contrast with the prior art vlif receiver , the i and q paths of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 also comprise two energy estimators 82 , 84 which operate under the controller of a control logic unit 86 . the first energy estimator 82 is connected between the high pass filter 164 and the mixer circuit 168 . accordingly , the first energy estimator 82 receives a wideband signal including the desired signal and any interference present . accordingly , the energy ( e c + i ) estimated by the first energy estimator 82 represents the energy of the carrier signal and the interference . the second energy estimator 84 is connected to the output of the low pass filter 176 . the low pass filter 168 is designed to pass only the desired signal . accordingly , the energy ( e c ) estimated by the second energy estimator 84 represents energy of the desired signal only . referring to fig5 together with fig4 , in use , the control logic unit 86 compares 90 the energy estimates generated by the first energy estimator 82 and the second energy estimator 84 to determine whether or not a strong blocker is present . this allows the ratio of the energy of the carrier signal to the energy of the interferers to be estimated . if e c + i ≈ αe c then the interference is very small . thus , even if there is signal energy present in the image band , it would not significantly interfere with the desired signal even if the quadrature imbalance is relatively poor . thus , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) can be increased 92 . by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), the separation between a desired signal and any dc offset signal or low frequency noise is increased . in contrast , if e c + i ≧ αe c , then a very large interference is present in the signal . in other words , if the wideband energy is much larger than the desired signal energy , then there is a possibility that there is significant energy in the image band . thus , there is a possibility of a foldover of some of this energy into the desired signal band ). accordingly , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is maintained 94 at a low , or default , value . in use , any increase in the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is not applied until the next tdma slot allocated to the vlif receiver 80 . the present embodiment provides a mechanism for removing dc offset signals and low frequency noise with minimal impact on a desired signal whilst maintaining acceptable performance in the face of large blockers in the image frequencies . furthermore , the present embodiment provides a technique for dynamically reconfiguring a vlif receiver to ensure optimal performance in view of changes in the rf environment observed at its antenna . finally , the present embodiment provides a control algorithm to dynamically alter an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) in search of improved performance in a manner which has not been used before in a gsm / edge receiver . on another note , the energy comparison approach of the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over a period of time . similarly , when frequency hopping is active , the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over different frequencies . in this case , the control logic unit need only keep track of a currently examined channel and keep independent data for each channel used . in other words , like most cellular communication systems , gsm operates over many frequency channels . when a phone initiates communication with a base station it will be dynamically assigned a channel or number of channels to operate on . the assignment of channels will vary over time . the presence or absence of interfering signals will also change over time . therefore , it is necessary to have a mechanism to keep track of which channels interference is occurring on . for example a gsm phone may be communicating with the base station using two channels that it hops between . if channel a has an associated interferer and channel b does not then it is beneficial to configure the receiver differently for channel than for channel b ). alterations and modifications may be made to the above without departing from the scope of the invention . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Electricity'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | 341adb38f13bec14e2e061a445581ecec915fde1f36a5fc8e83766faac89f067 | 0.21582 | 0.002319 | 0.051025 | 0.000938 | 0.166992 | 0.046631 |
null | referring to fig1 , a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver 5 comprises an antenna 10 connected to a low noise amplifier ( lna ) 12 . the zif receiver 5 further comprises a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 and two mixer circuits 16 , 18 . each mixer circuit 16 , 18 is provided with an rf port 20 , 22 and an lo port 24 , 26 , wherein the rf ports 20 , 22 are connected to the lna 12 and the lo ports 24 , 26 are connected to a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 . in use , the lo 14 transmits an lo signal ( lo_sig ) to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 through a phase shifter 28 , which shifts the phase of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by one of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 by 90 ° compared with the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by the other mixer circuit 16 , 18 . similarly , the antenna 10 receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) which is amplified by the lna 12 . the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is transmitted through the rf ports 20 , 22 to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 , wherein the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is mixed with the lo signal ( lo_sig ). the mixing process down - converts the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) into separate baseband in - phase ( i ) and quadrature phase ( q ) components , wherein the output from each mixer circuit 16 , 18 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency twice that of the lo signal ( lo_sig )). the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 30 , 32 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 16 , 18 and the remaining difference signal is converted into the digital domain by baseband analogue to digital converters ( adc ) 34 , 36 . the resulting digital signal is filtered by high pass filters ( hpf ) 38 , 40 which remove a dc offset signal and low frequency noise to produce output signals i out and q out . for simplicity , the path of an i component through its associated lpf 30 , adc 34 and hpf 38 to produce the i out signal , will be known henceforth as an “ i path ”. similarly , the path of a q component through its associated lpf 32 , adc 36 and hpf 40 to produce the q out signal , will be known henceforth as a “ q path ” 2 . sources of interference in a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver dc offset signals are offset voltages that exist at the baseband frequency . however , since the mixer circuits 16 , 18 directly down - convert an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to the baseband , a dc offset signal can appear as an interfering signal in the resulting i and q components . more particularly , a dc offset signal can arise from lo self mixing which occurs because of the finite isolation ( resulting from capacitive and substrate coupling ) of the lo ports 24 , 26 and the rf ports 20 , 22 of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 . the finite isolation of these ports enables some of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) to leak through the rf ports 20 , 22 ( towards the lna 12 ), whereupon the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is reflected ( because of interface mismatch ) back into the mixer circuits 16 , 18 and mixed with the original lo signal ( lo_sig ) to produce a dc offset signal . similarly , a time - varying dc offset signal is generated if the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is radiated by the lna 12 and subsequently reflected from moving objects back to the receiver 5 . the mixer circuits 16 , 18 provide quadrature mixing which should , in theory , provide infinite attenuation of the foldover of image band energy into the desired signal band . if quadrature mixing is perfect then there is no image foldover . however , in practice , there is always some imbalance between the i and q paths of a receiver , mainly because of the finite tolerances of the capacitance and resistance values of its analogue components . quadrature imbalance corrupts a received signal within a desired channel with a portion of the energy contained within the image band of the desired signal ( and is also known as alternate channel foldover ). to date , elaborate circuitry and dsp techniques have been developed to combat these problems . however , these approaches have limited success ( e . g . dc cancellation is unable to handle variations in a dc offset signal ) and have added to the complexity and cost of zif receivers . the very low intermediate frequency ( vlif ) receiver architecture was developed in an effort to circumvent the problems of dc offset signals and 1 / f noise whilst preserving the advantages of the zif receiver architecture . referring to fig2 , at first glance , a vlif receiver looks very similar to a zif receiver . in particular , a vlif receiver 42 employs an antenna 44 to receive an incoming signal ( rx_sig of frequency f chan ) and an lna 46 to amplify the signal . however , in contrast with the zif receiver ( which directly down - converts an incoming signal to the baseband ), the vlif receiver 42 down - converts ( by mixer circuits 48 , 50 , phase shifter 52 and an lo 54 operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ) the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to a frequency very close to , but not equal to , the baseband . in particular , the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted to an intermediate frequency ( if ) signal ( ifrx_sig ) of frequency ( f vlif ) of approximately 100 khz . the if signal ( ifrx_sig ) is then filtered by low pass filters 56 , 58 , converted to the digital domain by analogue to digital converters 60 , 62 and high pass filtered by filters 64 , 66 . the resulting signal is down - converted to the baseband by digital mixing circuits 68 , 70 , a phase shifter 72 and an lo 74 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). as in the zif receiver , the output from each of the mixer circuits 68 , 70 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency equal to 2 × f vlif ), wherein the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 76 , 78 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 68 , 70 . in theory , the main advantage of the vlif receiver compared to the zif receiver is that since the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted ( by the first mixer circuits 48 , 50 ) to an intermediate frequency , rather than to 0 hz , a dc offset signal does not overlap with the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). consequently , the dc offset signal can be removed by the high pass filters 64 , 66 . nonetheless , in practice , the vlif receiver architecture still experiences problems with dc offset and quadrature imbalance . the high pass filters in a vlif receiver must pass a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) without distortion , whilst removing any dc offset signal and low frequency noise therefrom . however , simulations have shown that when no dc component is present in a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ), the high pass filters 64 , 66 can degrade the performance of a vlif receiver by more than 2 db , because the filters remove some of the energy from the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) itself . however , this problem can be mitigated by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), so that the high pass filters 64 , 66 have less impact on the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). fig3 shows an incoming signal band ( of pass band f pb ) whose central frequency is down - converted to a first intermediate frequency ( f vlif1 ). for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ first down - converted signal band ”. the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 11 , e 12 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif1 − f pb and f vlif1 + f pb respectively . fig3 also shows the same incoming signal band down - converted to a second intermediate frequency ( f vlif2 ), wherein f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif 2 . for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ second down - converted signal band ”. as before , the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 21 , e 22 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif2 − f pb and f vlif2 + f pb . superimposed on these first and second down - converted signal bands , is the amplitude - frequency response of a hypothetical high pass filter ( with notch n ). since f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif2 , the lower band edge ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band , is closer to the notch ( n ) of the high pass filter than the lower band edge ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band . the difference δ 1 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band is 3 . 5 db . similarly , the difference δ 2 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band is 2 . 3 db . generalising from this , it can be seen that the closer the lower band edge of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is to 0 hz , the more the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is attenuated by a high pass filter . to overcome this problem , the amplitude cutoff response of the high pass filter must be steepened . in the case of a finite impulse response ( fir ) filter this approach will rapidly increase the latency of the filter . similarly , with an infinite impulse response ( iir ) filter , both the latency and the non - linearity of the group delay distortion at the high pass filter band edge will increase . however , in a time division multiple access ( tdma ) system such as global system for mobile communications ( gsm ), there are absolute upper limits on the tolerable latency of a receiver &# 39 ; s circuitry . furthermore , the span of samples that can be combined by an equalizer ( e . g . an adaptive filter configured to implement an inverse of a channel frequency response to remove any dispersive filtering effects experienced by a signal between a transmitter and a receiver ) in the baseband modem will dictate the acceptable level of group delay distortion . on the other hand , if the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is too large , the down - converted incoming signal ( rx_sig ) will not pass through the low pass filters of the vlif receiver , without substantial attenuation . thus , the bandwidth of the vlif receiver &# 39 ; s low pass filters , limits the extent to which the intermediate frequency of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) can be moved away from a dc offset signal . reverting to fig2 , quadrature imbalance occurs when the operation of the mixer circuits 48 , 50 permits energy at the image frequencies to leak into the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) and to act as an interference therewith . in particular , the performance of a vlif receiver is very sensitive to blocking signals that are located at an alternate channel ( i . e . the negative vlif ). these blocking signals will ( with quadrature imbalance ) produce images that directly fall within the band of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ). typically , vlif receivers will incorporate a quadrature balancing scheme to minimize these images . however , these schemes are not perfect and always leave some residual quadrature imbalance . in a gsm vlif system where there is a strong adjacent channel interferer to an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), any attempt to increase the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) to overcome dc offset will require an improvement in the receiver &# 39 ; s quadrature balance . thus , the above - mentioned limitations on the ability to eliminate quadrature imbalance will also restrict any increases in the intermediate frequency of the vlif receiver . in view of the above , the choice of a particular intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is driven by a number of conflicting demands including : increasing f vlif to facilitate dc offset removal ; minimising f vlif to minimize the proportion of image energy overlapping with the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( even with a quadrature balancing scheme , the large blockers that can occur in a gsm system mean that this factor is always significant ); and ensuring that f vlif is greater than half the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( to ensure that any residual dc offset does not fall within the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) band . the present embodiment is based on the observation that if little or no interference can be measured in an image band , then quadrature imbalance is unlikely to be a problem in a vlif receiver , since the amount of energy in the image band that could fold over into a desired signal band would not be large enough to form a dominant source of impairment . accordingly , the present embodiment compares the energy in a desired signal band with the energy in a wider band which contains the desired signal band . the result of this comparison indicates whether there is significant energy in the portion of the wider band which is not occupied by the desired signal band . the presence of a significant energy in the unoccupied portion of the wider band can be considered as an indication of the possible presence of energy in the image band . thus , the vlif should be set to a low frequency value . conversely , a failure to detect a significant energy in the unoccupied portion can be used to justify an increase in the vlif . for simplicity , fig4 only shows the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 . however , it will be appreciated that the q path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 has mirroring features to those depicted in fig4 . thus , the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 comprises an antenna 144 which receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), wherein the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is processed by a lna 146 and the resulting signal is downconverted to an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) by a mixer circuit 148 and local oscillator 154 ( operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ). the resulting intermediate frequency signal is filtered by a low pass filter 156 and converted into the digital domain by an adc 160 . the dc offset signal from the resulting digital signal is removed by a high pass filter 164 . as before , the second stage of the downconversion process is performed by a mixer circuit 168 and a local oscillator 174 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). the resulting baseband signal is processed by a low pass filter 176 . in contrast with the prior art vlif receiver , the i and q paths of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 also comprise two energy estimators 82 , 84 which operate under the controller of a control logic unit 86 . the first energy estimator 82 is connected between the high pass filter 164 and the mixer circuit 168 . accordingly , the first energy estimator 82 receives a wideband signal including the desired signal and any interference present . accordingly , the energy ( e c + i ) estimated by the first energy estimator 82 represents the energy of the carrier signal and the interference . the second energy estimator 84 is connected to the output of the low pass filter 176 . the low pass filter 168 is designed to pass only the desired signal . accordingly , the energy ( e c ) estimated by the second energy estimator 84 represents energy of the desired signal only . referring to fig5 together with fig4 , in use , the control logic unit 86 compares 90 the energy estimates generated by the first energy estimator 82 and the second energy estimator 84 to determine whether or not a strong blocker is present . this allows the ratio of the energy of the carrier signal to the energy of the interferers to be estimated . if e c + i ≈ αe c then the interference is very small . thus , even if there is signal energy present in the image band , it would not significantly interfere with the desired signal even if the quadrature imbalance is relatively poor . thus , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) can be increased 92 . by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), the separation between a desired signal and any dc offset signal or low frequency noise is increased . in contrast , if e c + i ≧ αe c , then a very large interference is present in the signal . in other words , if the wideband energy is much larger than the desired signal energy , then there is a possibility that there is significant energy in the image band . thus , there is a possibility of a foldover of some of this energy into the desired signal band ). accordingly , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is maintained 94 at a low , or default , value . in use , any increase in the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is not applied until the next tdma slot allocated to the vlif receiver 80 . the present embodiment provides a mechanism for removing dc offset signals and low frequency noise with minimal impact on a desired signal whilst maintaining acceptable performance in the face of large blockers in the image frequencies . furthermore , the present embodiment provides a technique for dynamically reconfiguring a vlif receiver to ensure optimal performance in view of changes in the rf environment observed at its antenna . finally , the present embodiment provides a control algorithm to dynamically alter an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) in search of improved performance in a manner which has not been used before in a gsm / edge receiver . on another note , the energy comparison approach of the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over a period of time . similarly , when frequency hopping is active , the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over different frequencies . in this case , the control logic unit need only keep track of a currently examined channel and keep independent data for each channel used . in other words , like most cellular communication systems , gsm operates over many frequency channels . when a phone initiates communication with a base station it will be dynamically assigned a channel or number of channels to operate on . the assignment of channels will vary over time . the presence or absence of interfering signals will also change over time . therefore , it is necessary to have a mechanism to keep track of which channels interference is occurring on . for example a gsm phone may be communicating with the base station using two channels that it hops between . if channel a has an associated interferer and channel b does not then it is beneficial to configure the receiver differently for channel than for channel b ). alterations and modifications may be made to the above without departing from the scope of the invention . | Is 'Electricity' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | 0.25 | 341adb38f13bec14e2e061a445581ecec915fde1f36a5fc8e83766faac89f067 | 0.109863 | 0.462891 | 0.016968 | 0.601563 | 0.126953 | 0.546875 |
null | referring to fig1 , a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver 5 comprises an antenna 10 connected to a low noise amplifier ( lna ) 12 . the zif receiver 5 further comprises a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 and two mixer circuits 16 , 18 . each mixer circuit 16 , 18 is provided with an rf port 20 , 22 and an lo port 24 , 26 , wherein the rf ports 20 , 22 are connected to the lna 12 and the lo ports 24 , 26 are connected to a local oscillator ( lo ) 14 . in use , the lo 14 transmits an lo signal ( lo_sig ) to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 through a phase shifter 28 , which shifts the phase of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by one of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 by 90 ° compared with the lo signal ( lo_sig ) received by the other mixer circuit 16 , 18 . similarly , the antenna 10 receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) which is amplified by the lna 12 . the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is transmitted through the rf ports 20 , 22 to the mixer circuits 16 , 18 , wherein the amplified incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is mixed with the lo signal ( lo_sig ). the mixing process down - converts the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) into separate baseband in - phase ( i ) and quadrature phase ( q ) components , wherein the output from each mixer circuit 16 , 18 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency twice that of the lo signal ( lo_sig )). the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 30 , 32 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 16 , 18 and the remaining difference signal is converted into the digital domain by baseband analogue to digital converters ( adc ) 34 , 36 . the resulting digital signal is filtered by high pass filters ( hpf ) 38 , 40 which remove a dc offset signal and low frequency noise to produce output signals i out and q out . for simplicity , the path of an i component through its associated lpf 30 , adc 34 and hpf 38 to produce the i out signal , will be known henceforth as an “ i path ”. similarly , the path of a q component through its associated lpf 32 , adc 36 and hpf 40 to produce the q out signal , will be known henceforth as a “ q path ” 2 . sources of interference in a zero intermediate frequency ( zif ) receiver dc offset signals are offset voltages that exist at the baseband frequency . however , since the mixer circuits 16 , 18 directly down - convert an incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to the baseband , a dc offset signal can appear as an interfering signal in the resulting i and q components . more particularly , a dc offset signal can arise from lo self mixing which occurs because of the finite isolation ( resulting from capacitive and substrate coupling ) of the lo ports 24 , 26 and the rf ports 20 , 22 of the mixer circuits 16 , 18 . the finite isolation of these ports enables some of the lo signal ( lo_sig ) to leak through the rf ports 20 , 22 ( towards the lna 12 ), whereupon the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is reflected ( because of interface mismatch ) back into the mixer circuits 16 , 18 and mixed with the original lo signal ( lo_sig ) to produce a dc offset signal . similarly , a time - varying dc offset signal is generated if the leaked lo signal ( lo_sig ) is radiated by the lna 12 and subsequently reflected from moving objects back to the receiver 5 . the mixer circuits 16 , 18 provide quadrature mixing which should , in theory , provide infinite attenuation of the foldover of image band energy into the desired signal band . if quadrature mixing is perfect then there is no image foldover . however , in practice , there is always some imbalance between the i and q paths of a receiver , mainly because of the finite tolerances of the capacitance and resistance values of its analogue components . quadrature imbalance corrupts a received signal within a desired channel with a portion of the energy contained within the image band of the desired signal ( and is also known as alternate channel foldover ). to date , elaborate circuitry and dsp techniques have been developed to combat these problems . however , these approaches have limited success ( e . g . dc cancellation is unable to handle variations in a dc offset signal ) and have added to the complexity and cost of zif receivers . the very low intermediate frequency ( vlif ) receiver architecture was developed in an effort to circumvent the problems of dc offset signals and 1 / f noise whilst preserving the advantages of the zif receiver architecture . referring to fig2 , at first glance , a vlif receiver looks very similar to a zif receiver . in particular , a vlif receiver 42 employs an antenna 44 to receive an incoming signal ( rx_sig of frequency f chan ) and an lna 46 to amplify the signal . however , in contrast with the zif receiver ( which directly down - converts an incoming signal to the baseband ), the vlif receiver 42 down - converts ( by mixer circuits 48 , 50 , phase shifter 52 and an lo 54 operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ) the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) to a frequency very close to , but not equal to , the baseband . in particular , the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted to an intermediate frequency ( if ) signal ( ifrx_sig ) of frequency ( f vlif ) of approximately 100 khz . the if signal ( ifrx_sig ) is then filtered by low pass filters 56 , 58 , converted to the digital domain by analogue to digital converters 60 , 62 and high pass filtered by filters 64 , 66 . the resulting signal is down - converted to the baseband by digital mixing circuits 68 , 70 , a phase shifter 72 and an lo 74 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). as in the zif receiver , the output from each of the mixer circuits 68 , 70 comprises a baseband difference signal and a sum signal ( with a frequency equal to 2 × f vlif ), wherein the sum signal is attenuated by a low pass filter ( lpf ) 76 , 78 connected to the output of each mixer circuit 68 , 70 . in theory , the main advantage of the vlif receiver compared to the zif receiver is that since the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is down - converted ( by the first mixer circuits 48 , 50 ) to an intermediate frequency , rather than to 0 hz , a dc offset signal does not overlap with the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). consequently , the dc offset signal can be removed by the high pass filters 64 , 66 . nonetheless , in practice , the vlif receiver architecture still experiences problems with dc offset and quadrature imbalance . the high pass filters in a vlif receiver must pass a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) without distortion , whilst removing any dc offset signal and low frequency noise therefrom . however , simulations have shown that when no dc component is present in a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ), the high pass filters 64 , 66 can degrade the performance of a vlif receiver by more than 2 db , because the filters remove some of the energy from the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) itself . however , this problem can be mitigated by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), so that the high pass filters 64 , 66 have less impact on the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ). fig3 shows an incoming signal band ( of pass band f pb ) whose central frequency is down - converted to a first intermediate frequency ( f vlif1 ). for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ first down - converted signal band ”. the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 11 , e 12 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif1 − f pb and f vlif1 + f pb respectively . fig3 also shows the same incoming signal band down - converted to a second intermediate frequency ( f vlif2 ), wherein f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif 2 . for simplicity , this signal band will be referred to henceforth as the “ second down - converted signal band ”. as before , the frequencies of the lower and higher band - edges ( e 21 , e 22 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band are given by f vlif2 − f pb and f vlif2 + f pb . superimposed on these first and second down - converted signal bands , is the amplitude - frequency response of a hypothetical high pass filter ( with notch n ). since f vlif1 & lt ; f vlif2 , the lower band edge ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band , is closer to the notch ( n ) of the high pass filter than the lower band edge ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band . the difference δ 1 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 11 ) of the first down - converted incoming signal band is 3 . 5 db . similarly , the difference δ 2 between the plateau amplitude response of the hpf and its amplitude response at lower band - edge frequency ( e 21 ) of the second down - converted incoming signal band is 2 . 3 db . generalising from this , it can be seen that the closer the lower band edge of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is to 0 hz , the more the down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) is attenuated by a high pass filter . to overcome this problem , the amplitude cutoff response of the high pass filter must be steepened . in the case of a finite impulse response ( fir ) filter this approach will rapidly increase the latency of the filter . similarly , with an infinite impulse response ( iir ) filter , both the latency and the non - linearity of the group delay distortion at the high pass filter band edge will increase . however , in a time division multiple access ( tdma ) system such as global system for mobile communications ( gsm ), there are absolute upper limits on the tolerable latency of a receiver &# 39 ; s circuitry . furthermore , the span of samples that can be combined by an equalizer ( e . g . an adaptive filter configured to implement an inverse of a channel frequency response to remove any dispersive filtering effects experienced by a signal between a transmitter and a receiver ) in the baseband modem will dictate the acceptable level of group delay distortion . on the other hand , if the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is too large , the down - converted incoming signal ( rx_sig ) will not pass through the low pass filters of the vlif receiver , without substantial attenuation . thus , the bandwidth of the vlif receiver &# 39 ; s low pass filters , limits the extent to which the intermediate frequency of a down - converted incoming signal ( ifrx_sig ) can be moved away from a dc offset signal . reverting to fig2 , quadrature imbalance occurs when the operation of the mixer circuits 48 , 50 permits energy at the image frequencies to leak into the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) and to act as an interference therewith . in particular , the performance of a vlif receiver is very sensitive to blocking signals that are located at an alternate channel ( i . e . the negative vlif ). these blocking signals will ( with quadrature imbalance ) produce images that directly fall within the band of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ). typically , vlif receivers will incorporate a quadrature balancing scheme to minimize these images . however , these schemes are not perfect and always leave some residual quadrature imbalance . in a gsm vlif system where there is a strong adjacent channel interferer to an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), any attempt to increase the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) to overcome dc offset will require an improvement in the receiver &# 39 ; s quadrature balance . thus , the above - mentioned limitations on the ability to eliminate quadrature imbalance will also restrict any increases in the intermediate frequency of the vlif receiver . in view of the above , the choice of a particular intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is driven by a number of conflicting demands including : increasing f vlif to facilitate dc offset removal ; minimising f vlif to minimize the proportion of image energy overlapping with the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( even with a quadrature balancing scheme , the large blockers that can occur in a gsm system mean that this factor is always significant ); and ensuring that f vlif is greater than half the bandwidth of the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) ( to ensure that any residual dc offset does not fall within the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) band . the present embodiment is based on the observation that if little or no interference can be measured in an image band , then quadrature imbalance is unlikely to be a problem in a vlif receiver , since the amount of energy in the image band that could fold over into a desired signal band would not be large enough to form a dominant source of impairment . accordingly , the present embodiment compares the energy in a desired signal band with the energy in a wider band which contains the desired signal band . the result of this comparison indicates whether there is significant energy in the portion of the wider band which is not occupied by the desired signal band . the presence of a significant energy in the unoccupied portion of the wider band can be considered as an indication of the possible presence of energy in the image band . thus , the vlif should be set to a low frequency value . conversely , a failure to detect a significant energy in the unoccupied portion can be used to justify an increase in the vlif . for simplicity , fig4 only shows the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 . however , it will be appreciated that the q path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 has mirroring features to those depicted in fig4 . thus , the i path of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 comprises an antenna 144 which receives an incoming signal ( rx_sig ), wherein the incoming signal ( rx_sig ) is processed by a lna 146 and the resulting signal is downconverted to an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) by a mixer circuit 148 and local oscillator 154 ( operating at a frequency of f chan + f vlif ). the resulting intermediate frequency signal is filtered by a low pass filter 156 and converted into the digital domain by an adc 160 . the dc offset signal from the resulting digital signal is removed by a high pass filter 164 . as before , the second stage of the downconversion process is performed by a mixer circuit 168 and a local oscillator 174 ( operating at the frequency − f vlif ). the resulting baseband signal is processed by a low pass filter 176 . in contrast with the prior art vlif receiver , the i and q paths of the vlif receiver of the present embodiment 80 also comprise two energy estimators 82 , 84 which operate under the controller of a control logic unit 86 . the first energy estimator 82 is connected between the high pass filter 164 and the mixer circuit 168 . accordingly , the first energy estimator 82 receives a wideband signal including the desired signal and any interference present . accordingly , the energy ( e c + i ) estimated by the first energy estimator 82 represents the energy of the carrier signal and the interference . the second energy estimator 84 is connected to the output of the low pass filter 176 . the low pass filter 168 is designed to pass only the desired signal . accordingly , the energy ( e c ) estimated by the second energy estimator 84 represents energy of the desired signal only . referring to fig5 together with fig4 , in use , the control logic unit 86 compares 90 the energy estimates generated by the first energy estimator 82 and the second energy estimator 84 to determine whether or not a strong blocker is present . this allows the ratio of the energy of the carrier signal to the energy of the interferers to be estimated . if e c + i ≈ αe c then the interference is very small . thus , even if there is signal energy present in the image band , it would not significantly interfere with the desired signal even if the quadrature imbalance is relatively poor . thus , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) can be increased 92 . by increasing the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ), the separation between a desired signal and any dc offset signal or low frequency noise is increased . in contrast , if e c + i ≧ αe c , then a very large interference is present in the signal . in other words , if the wideband energy is much larger than the desired signal energy , then there is a possibility that there is significant energy in the image band . thus , there is a possibility of a foldover of some of this energy into the desired signal band ). accordingly , the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is maintained 94 at a low , or default , value . in use , any increase in the intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) is not applied until the next tdma slot allocated to the vlif receiver 80 . the present embodiment provides a mechanism for removing dc offset signals and low frequency noise with minimal impact on a desired signal whilst maintaining acceptable performance in the face of large blockers in the image frequencies . furthermore , the present embodiment provides a technique for dynamically reconfiguring a vlif receiver to ensure optimal performance in view of changes in the rf environment observed at its antenna . finally , the present embodiment provides a control algorithm to dynamically alter an intermediate frequency ( f vlif ) in search of improved performance in a manner which has not been used before in a gsm / edge receiver . on another note , the energy comparison approach of the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over a period of time . similarly , when frequency hopping is active , the present embodiment can be used to track interference energy over different frequencies . in this case , the control logic unit need only keep track of a currently examined channel and keep independent data for each channel used . in other words , like most cellular communication systems , gsm operates over many frequency channels . when a phone initiates communication with a base station it will be dynamically assigned a channel or number of channels to operate on . the assignment of channels will vary over time . the presence or absence of interfering signals will also change over time . therefore , it is necessary to have a mechanism to keep track of which channels interference is occurring on . for example a gsm phone may be communicating with the base station using two channels that it hops between . if channel a has an associated interferer and channel b does not then it is beneficial to configure the receiver differently for channel than for channel b ). alterations and modifications may be made to the above without departing from the scope of the invention . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Electricity'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | 341adb38f13bec14e2e061a445581ecec915fde1f36a5fc8e83766faac89f067 | 0.21582 | 0.197266 | 0.051025 | 0.414063 | 0.166992 | 0.235352 |
null | referring now to the drawing , on which the same elements are given consistent identifying numerals throughout the various figures thereof , there is shown a vault door , generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 , which door includes the elements of the present invention . for clarity , the locking / unlocking mechanisms incorporated in vault door 10 are not shown on the drawing figures and it will be understood that such mechanisms may be entirely conventional and that the details of any particularly type used will not affect the practicing of the present invention . with particular reference to fig1 - 3 , door 10 includes a removable locking unit 12 , a front panel 14 , a rectangular frame 16 , and a rear cover 18 . included in locking unit 12 is a center panel 24 on which are mounted lock combination dials 26 and 28 attached to lock spindles 30 and 32 , respectively , which lock spindles are disposed in lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . also mounted on center panel 24 is a door wheel 40 attached to door wheel spindle 42 which is disposed in door wheel spindle tube 44 . spindle tubes 34 , 36 , and 44 are welded between a front plate 48 and an intermediate plate 50 . a tempered glass relock protection plate 54 extends over a portion of the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 . a hinged cover 58 extends over the portion of center panel 24 containing lock combination dials 26 and 28 . so far , the elements described are entirely conventional . the conventional elements which have been revised , or new elements which have been added , for the present invention will now be described . still referring to fig1 - 3 , door wheel spindle 42 , rather than being solid as is the case with convention door wheel spindles , is hollow , thus forming a passageway 62 between the front of door 10 and the inside of the vault ( not shown ) on which the door is mounted . passageway 62 may be used to pass food and / or water to the person ( s ) trapped inside the vault . in order to compensate for not having a solid door wheel spindle 42 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 has been extended around the area of the door wheel spindle . to provide fresh air to the inside of the vault , a fan 66 is mounted inside center panel 24 to draw air through a fan grill 68 and force it through the existing clearances between lock spindles 30 and 32 and lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . to ensure that the air in fact passes through such clearances , a gasket 70 is provided between center panel 24 and front plate 48 . to provide a further passage for the air once it arrives at the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 is raised slightly from the rear surface of the intermediate plate and sealed thereto by a gasket 72 so that the air may pass through a channel 74 defined between the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 and the inside surface of relock protection plate 54 . from channel 74 , the air passes through an air duct 76 and exits into the vault through a ventilator grill 78 formed in a control panel 80 ( also fig4 ). mounted behind control panel 80 is a housing 86 which encloses an on / off switch 88 ( fig4 ) and an on / off indicator light 90 ( fig4 ). the rear surface of control panel 80 may include instructions 91 . passageway 62 is opened by moving a slide 92 with an attached knob 94 from the position shown on fig3 to the position shown on fig4 to open the inner end of the passageway and , thus , provide communication between the interior of the vault and the front of door 10 . in order to provide more secure closure of passageway 62 , the embodiment of the present invention shown on fig5 may be employed . here , rather than effecting closure of only one end of passageway 62 with a slide , such as slide 92 on fig3 and 4 , there is provided a solid tube 100 which can extend substantially throughout the passageway and which may be removably secured in place therein by advancing a threaded portion 102 into the inner end of the passageway . a knob 104 is provided at the inner end of tube 100 to aid in inserting and withdrawing the tube into and from passageway 62 . in use , once a person is locked in the vault , he locates control panel 80 , preferably by means of a continuously lit small light ( not shown ) indicating the position of the control panel , and switches on the fan which action may also turn on emergency lights in the vault . if food , water , or other items are required , these may be obtained through passageway 62 after moving slide 94 to its open position or by removing tube 100 from the passageway . otherwise , passageway 62 may be employed for the exiting of air , if necessary . it will be understood that the teachings of the present invention could be applied so that stale air is positively removed from the vault by reversing the flow of air produced by fan 66 , so that fresh air is drawn into the vault , for example , through passageway 62 , and such is within the intent of the present invention . it can be seen that the present invention may be employed without compromising the integrity of the vault walls or the vault door jamb . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained and , since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawing figures shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | 8578bf83eca1457b124ea6fcc7348194553668c8a38cec4eefeb5e4f10309bf1 | 0.064453 | 0.103516 | 0.005066 | 0.03064 | 0.09668 | 0.05835 |
null | referring now to the drawing , on which the same elements are given consistent identifying numerals throughout the various figures thereof , there is shown a vault door , generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 , which door includes the elements of the present invention . for clarity , the locking / unlocking mechanisms incorporated in vault door 10 are not shown on the drawing figures and it will be understood that such mechanisms may be entirely conventional and that the details of any particularly type used will not affect the practicing of the present invention . with particular reference to fig1 - 3 , door 10 includes a removable locking unit 12 , a front panel 14 , a rectangular frame 16 , and a rear cover 18 . included in locking unit 12 is a center panel 24 on which are mounted lock combination dials 26 and 28 attached to lock spindles 30 and 32 , respectively , which lock spindles are disposed in lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . also mounted on center panel 24 is a door wheel 40 attached to door wheel spindle 42 which is disposed in door wheel spindle tube 44 . spindle tubes 34 , 36 , and 44 are welded between a front plate 48 and an intermediate plate 50 . a tempered glass relock protection plate 54 extends over a portion of the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 . a hinged cover 58 extends over the portion of center panel 24 containing lock combination dials 26 and 28 . so far , the elements described are entirely conventional . the conventional elements which have been revised , or new elements which have been added , for the present invention will now be described . still referring to fig1 - 3 , door wheel spindle 42 , rather than being solid as is the case with convention door wheel spindles , is hollow , thus forming a passageway 62 between the front of door 10 and the inside of the vault ( not shown ) on which the door is mounted . passageway 62 may be used to pass food and / or water to the person ( s ) trapped inside the vault . in order to compensate for not having a solid door wheel spindle 42 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 has been extended around the area of the door wheel spindle . to provide fresh air to the inside of the vault , a fan 66 is mounted inside center panel 24 to draw air through a fan grill 68 and force it through the existing clearances between lock spindles 30 and 32 and lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . to ensure that the air in fact passes through such clearances , a gasket 70 is provided between center panel 24 and front plate 48 . to provide a further passage for the air once it arrives at the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 is raised slightly from the rear surface of the intermediate plate and sealed thereto by a gasket 72 so that the air may pass through a channel 74 defined between the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 and the inside surface of relock protection plate 54 . from channel 74 , the air passes through an air duct 76 and exits into the vault through a ventilator grill 78 formed in a control panel 80 ( also fig4 ). mounted behind control panel 80 is a housing 86 which encloses an on / off switch 88 ( fig4 ) and an on / off indicator light 90 ( fig4 ). the rear surface of control panel 80 may include instructions 91 . passageway 62 is opened by moving a slide 92 with an attached knob 94 from the position shown on fig3 to the position shown on fig4 to open the inner end of the passageway and , thus , provide communication between the interior of the vault and the front of door 10 . in order to provide more secure closure of passageway 62 , the embodiment of the present invention shown on fig5 may be employed . here , rather than effecting closure of only one end of passageway 62 with a slide , such as slide 92 on fig3 and 4 , there is provided a solid tube 100 which can extend substantially throughout the passageway and which may be removably secured in place therein by advancing a threaded portion 102 into the inner end of the passageway . a knob 104 is provided at the inner end of tube 100 to aid in inserting and withdrawing the tube into and from passageway 62 . in use , once a person is locked in the vault , he locates control panel 80 , preferably by means of a continuously lit small light ( not shown ) indicating the position of the control panel , and switches on the fan which action may also turn on emergency lights in the vault . if food , water , or other items are required , these may be obtained through passageway 62 after moving slide 94 to its open position or by removing tube 100 from the passageway . otherwise , passageway 62 may be employed for the exiting of air , if necessary . it will be understood that the teachings of the present invention could be applied so that stale air is positively removed from the vault by reversing the flow of air produced by fan 66 , so that fresh air is drawn into the vault , for example , through passageway 62 , and such is within the intent of the present invention . it can be seen that the present invention may be employed without compromising the integrity of the vault walls or the vault door jamb . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained and , since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawing figures shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | 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 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | 8578bf83eca1457b124ea6fcc7348194553668c8a38cec4eefeb5e4f10309bf1 | 0.064453 | 0.030273 | 0.005066 | 0.02478 | 0.09668 | 0.021606 |
null | referring now to the drawing , on which the same elements are given consistent identifying numerals throughout the various figures thereof , there is shown a vault door , generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 , which door includes the elements of the present invention . for clarity , the locking / unlocking mechanisms incorporated in vault door 10 are not shown on the drawing figures and it will be understood that such mechanisms may be entirely conventional and that the details of any particularly type used will not affect the practicing of the present invention . with particular reference to fig1 - 3 , door 10 includes a removable locking unit 12 , a front panel 14 , a rectangular frame 16 , and a rear cover 18 . included in locking unit 12 is a center panel 24 on which are mounted lock combination dials 26 and 28 attached to lock spindles 30 and 32 , respectively , which lock spindles are disposed in lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . also mounted on center panel 24 is a door wheel 40 attached to door wheel spindle 42 which is disposed in door wheel spindle tube 44 . spindle tubes 34 , 36 , and 44 are welded between a front plate 48 and an intermediate plate 50 . a tempered glass relock protection plate 54 extends over a portion of the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 . a hinged cover 58 extends over the portion of center panel 24 containing lock combination dials 26 and 28 . so far , the elements described are entirely conventional . the conventional elements which have been revised , or new elements which have been added , for the present invention will now be described . still referring to fig1 - 3 , door wheel spindle 42 , rather than being solid as is the case with convention door wheel spindles , is hollow , thus forming a passageway 62 between the front of door 10 and the inside of the vault ( not shown ) on which the door is mounted . passageway 62 may be used to pass food and / or water to the person ( s ) trapped inside the vault . in order to compensate for not having a solid door wheel spindle 42 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 has been extended around the area of the door wheel spindle . to provide fresh air to the inside of the vault , a fan 66 is mounted inside center panel 24 to draw air through a fan grill 68 and force it through the existing clearances between lock spindles 30 and 32 and lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . to ensure that the air in fact passes through such clearances , a gasket 70 is provided between center panel 24 and front plate 48 . to provide a further passage for the air once it arrives at the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 is raised slightly from the rear surface of the intermediate plate and sealed thereto by a gasket 72 so that the air may pass through a channel 74 defined between the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 and the inside surface of relock protection plate 54 . from channel 74 , the air passes through an air duct 76 and exits into the vault through a ventilator grill 78 formed in a control panel 80 ( also fig4 ). mounted behind control panel 80 is a housing 86 which encloses an on / off switch 88 ( fig4 ) and an on / off indicator light 90 ( fig4 ). the rear surface of control panel 80 may include instructions 91 . passageway 62 is opened by moving a slide 92 with an attached knob 94 from the position shown on fig3 to the position shown on fig4 to open the inner end of the passageway and , thus , provide communication between the interior of the vault and the front of door 10 . in order to provide more secure closure of passageway 62 , the embodiment of the present invention shown on fig5 may be employed . here , rather than effecting closure of only one end of passageway 62 with a slide , such as slide 92 on fig3 and 4 , there is provided a solid tube 100 which can extend substantially throughout the passageway and which may be removably secured in place therein by advancing a threaded portion 102 into the inner end of the passageway . a knob 104 is provided at the inner end of tube 100 to aid in inserting and withdrawing the tube into and from passageway 62 . in use , once a person is locked in the vault , he locates control panel 80 , preferably by means of a continuously lit small light ( not shown ) indicating the position of the control panel , and switches on the fan which action may also turn on emergency lights in the vault . if food , water , or other items are required , these may be obtained through passageway 62 after moving slide 94 to its open position or by removing tube 100 from the passageway . otherwise , passageway 62 may be employed for the exiting of air , if necessary . it will be understood that the teachings of the present invention could be applied so that stale air is positively removed from the vault by reversing the flow of air produced by fan 66 , so that fresh air is drawn into the vault , for example , through passageway 62 , and such is within the intent of the present invention . it can be seen that the present invention may be employed without compromising the integrity of the vault walls or the vault door jamb . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained and , since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawing figures shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | Is 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | 8578bf83eca1457b124ea6fcc7348194553668c8a38cec4eefeb5e4f10309bf1 | 0.086426 | 0.002472 | 0.04541 | 0.000645 | 0.071777 | 0.003082 |
null | referring now to the drawing , on which the same elements are given consistent identifying numerals throughout the various figures thereof , there is shown a vault door , generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 , which door includes the elements of the present invention . for clarity , the locking / unlocking mechanisms incorporated in vault door 10 are not shown on the drawing figures and it will be understood that such mechanisms may be entirely conventional and that the details of any particularly type used will not affect the practicing of the present invention . with particular reference to fig1 - 3 , door 10 includes a removable locking unit 12 , a front panel 14 , a rectangular frame 16 , and a rear cover 18 . included in locking unit 12 is a center panel 24 on which are mounted lock combination dials 26 and 28 attached to lock spindles 30 and 32 , respectively , which lock spindles are disposed in lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . also mounted on center panel 24 is a door wheel 40 attached to door wheel spindle 42 which is disposed in door wheel spindle tube 44 . spindle tubes 34 , 36 , and 44 are welded between a front plate 48 and an intermediate plate 50 . a tempered glass relock protection plate 54 extends over a portion of the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 . a hinged cover 58 extends over the portion of center panel 24 containing lock combination dials 26 and 28 . so far , the elements described are entirely conventional . the conventional elements which have been revised , or new elements which have been added , for the present invention will now be described . still referring to fig1 - 3 , door wheel spindle 42 , rather than being solid as is the case with convention door wheel spindles , is hollow , thus forming a passageway 62 between the front of door 10 and the inside of the vault ( not shown ) on which the door is mounted . passageway 62 may be used to pass food and / or water to the person ( s ) trapped inside the vault . in order to compensate for not having a solid door wheel spindle 42 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 has been extended around the area of the door wheel spindle . to provide fresh air to the inside of the vault , a fan 66 is mounted inside center panel 24 to draw air through a fan grill 68 and force it through the existing clearances between lock spindles 30 and 32 and lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . to ensure that the air in fact passes through such clearances , a gasket 70 is provided between center panel 24 and front plate 48 . to provide a further passage for the air once it arrives at the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 is raised slightly from the rear surface of the intermediate plate and sealed thereto by a gasket 72 so that the air may pass through a channel 74 defined between the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 and the inside surface of relock protection plate 54 . from channel 74 , the air passes through an air duct 76 and exits into the vault through a ventilator grill 78 formed in a control panel 80 ( also fig4 ). mounted behind control panel 80 is a housing 86 which encloses an on / off switch 88 ( fig4 ) and an on / off indicator light 90 ( fig4 ). the rear surface of control panel 80 may include instructions 91 . passageway 62 is opened by moving a slide 92 with an attached knob 94 from the position shown on fig3 to the position shown on fig4 to open the inner end of the passageway and , thus , provide communication between the interior of the vault and the front of door 10 . in order to provide more secure closure of passageway 62 , the embodiment of the present invention shown on fig5 may be employed . here , rather than effecting closure of only one end of passageway 62 with a slide , such as slide 92 on fig3 and 4 , there is provided a solid tube 100 which can extend substantially throughout the passageway and which may be removably secured in place therein by advancing a threaded portion 102 into the inner end of the passageway . a knob 104 is provided at the inner end of tube 100 to aid in inserting and withdrawing the tube into and from passageway 62 . in use , once a person is locked in the vault , he locates control panel 80 , preferably by means of a continuously lit small light ( not shown ) indicating the position of the control panel , and switches on the fan which action may also turn on emergency lights in the vault . if food , water , or other items are required , these may be obtained through passageway 62 after moving slide 94 to its open position or by removing tube 100 from the passageway . otherwise , passageway 62 may be employed for the exiting of air , if necessary . it will be understood that the teachings of the present invention could be applied so that stale air is positively removed from the vault by reversing the flow of air produced by fan 66 , so that fresh air is drawn into the vault , for example , through passageway 62 , and such is within the intent of the present invention . it can be seen that the present invention may be employed without compromising the integrity of the vault walls or the vault door jamb . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained and , since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawing figures shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | 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 | 8578bf83eca1457b124ea6fcc7348194553668c8a38cec4eefeb5e4f10309bf1 | 0.064453 | 0.000418 | 0.005066 | 0.000026 | 0.09668 | 0.001328 |
null | referring now to the drawing , on which the same elements are given consistent identifying numerals throughout the various figures thereof , there is shown a vault door , generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 , which door includes the elements of the present invention . for clarity , the locking / unlocking mechanisms incorporated in vault door 10 are not shown on the drawing figures and it will be understood that such mechanisms may be entirely conventional and that the details of any particularly type used will not affect the practicing of the present invention . with particular reference to fig1 - 3 , door 10 includes a removable locking unit 12 , a front panel 14 , a rectangular frame 16 , and a rear cover 18 . included in locking unit 12 is a center panel 24 on which are mounted lock combination dials 26 and 28 attached to lock spindles 30 and 32 , respectively , which lock spindles are disposed in lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . also mounted on center panel 24 is a door wheel 40 attached to door wheel spindle 42 which is disposed in door wheel spindle tube 44 . spindle tubes 34 , 36 , and 44 are welded between a front plate 48 and an intermediate plate 50 . a tempered glass relock protection plate 54 extends over a portion of the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 . a hinged cover 58 extends over the portion of center panel 24 containing lock combination dials 26 and 28 . so far , the elements described are entirely conventional . the conventional elements which have been revised , or new elements which have been added , for the present invention will now be described . still referring to fig1 - 3 , door wheel spindle 42 , rather than being solid as is the case with convention door wheel spindles , is hollow , thus forming a passageway 62 between the front of door 10 and the inside of the vault ( not shown ) on which the door is mounted . passageway 62 may be used to pass food and / or water to the person ( s ) trapped inside the vault . in order to compensate for not having a solid door wheel spindle 42 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 has been extended around the area of the door wheel spindle . to provide fresh air to the inside of the vault , a fan 66 is mounted inside center panel 24 to draw air through a fan grill 68 and force it through the existing clearances between lock spindles 30 and 32 and lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . to ensure that the air in fact passes through such clearances , a gasket 70 is provided between center panel 24 and front plate 48 . to provide a further passage for the air once it arrives at the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 is raised slightly from the rear surface of the intermediate plate and sealed thereto by a gasket 72 so that the air may pass through a channel 74 defined between the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 and the inside surface of relock protection plate 54 . from channel 74 , the air passes through an air duct 76 and exits into the vault through a ventilator grill 78 formed in a control panel 80 ( also fig4 ). mounted behind control panel 80 is a housing 86 which encloses an on / off switch 88 ( fig4 ) and an on / off indicator light 90 ( fig4 ). the rear surface of control panel 80 may include instructions 91 . passageway 62 is opened by moving a slide 92 with an attached knob 94 from the position shown on fig3 to the position shown on fig4 to open the inner end of the passageway and , thus , provide communication between the interior of the vault and the front of door 10 . in order to provide more secure closure of passageway 62 , the embodiment of the present invention shown on fig5 may be employed . here , rather than effecting closure of only one end of passageway 62 with a slide , such as slide 92 on fig3 and 4 , there is provided a solid tube 100 which can extend substantially throughout the passageway and which may be removably secured in place therein by advancing a threaded portion 102 into the inner end of the passageway . a knob 104 is provided at the inner end of tube 100 to aid in inserting and withdrawing the tube into and from passageway 62 . in use , once a person is locked in the vault , he locates control panel 80 , preferably by means of a continuously lit small light ( not shown ) indicating the position of the control panel , and switches on the fan which action may also turn on emergency lights in the vault . if food , water , or other items are required , these may be obtained through passageway 62 after moving slide 94 to its open position or by removing tube 100 from the passageway . otherwise , passageway 62 may be employed for the exiting of air , if necessary . it will be understood that the teachings of the present invention could be applied so that stale air is positively removed from the vault by reversing the flow of air produced by fan 66 , so that fresh air is drawn into the vault , for example , through passageway 62 , and such is within the intent of the present invention . it can be seen that the present invention may be employed without compromising the integrity of the vault walls or the vault door jamb . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained and , since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawing figures shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | 8578bf83eca1457b124ea6fcc7348194553668c8a38cec4eefeb5e4f10309bf1 | 0.128906 | 0.005737 | 0.081543 | 0.001984 | 0.108398 | 0.005371 |
null | referring now to the drawing , on which the same elements are given consistent identifying numerals throughout the various figures thereof , there is shown a vault door , generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 , which door includes the elements of the present invention . for clarity , the locking / unlocking mechanisms incorporated in vault door 10 are not shown on the drawing figures and it will be understood that such mechanisms may be entirely conventional and that the details of any particularly type used will not affect the practicing of the present invention . with particular reference to fig1 - 3 , door 10 includes a removable locking unit 12 , a front panel 14 , a rectangular frame 16 , and a rear cover 18 . included in locking unit 12 is a center panel 24 on which are mounted lock combination dials 26 and 28 attached to lock spindles 30 and 32 , respectively , which lock spindles are disposed in lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . also mounted on center panel 24 is a door wheel 40 attached to door wheel spindle 42 which is disposed in door wheel spindle tube 44 . spindle tubes 34 , 36 , and 44 are welded between a front plate 48 and an intermediate plate 50 . a tempered glass relock protection plate 54 extends over a portion of the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 . a hinged cover 58 extends over the portion of center panel 24 containing lock combination dials 26 and 28 . so far , the elements described are entirely conventional . the conventional elements which have been revised , or new elements which have been added , for the present invention will now be described . still referring to fig1 - 3 , door wheel spindle 42 , rather than being solid as is the case with convention door wheel spindles , is hollow , thus forming a passageway 62 between the front of door 10 and the inside of the vault ( not shown ) on which the door is mounted . passageway 62 may be used to pass food and / or water to the person ( s ) trapped inside the vault . in order to compensate for not having a solid door wheel spindle 42 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 has been extended around the area of the door wheel spindle . to provide fresh air to the inside of the vault , a fan 66 is mounted inside center panel 24 to draw air through a fan grill 68 and force it through the existing clearances between lock spindles 30 and 32 and lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . to ensure that the air in fact passes through such clearances , a gasket 70 is provided between center panel 24 and front plate 48 . to provide a further passage for the air once it arrives at the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 is raised slightly from the rear surface of the intermediate plate and sealed thereto by a gasket 72 so that the air may pass through a channel 74 defined between the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 and the inside surface of relock protection plate 54 . from channel 74 , the air passes through an air duct 76 and exits into the vault through a ventilator grill 78 formed in a control panel 80 ( also fig4 ). mounted behind control panel 80 is a housing 86 which encloses an on / off switch 88 ( fig4 ) and an on / off indicator light 90 ( fig4 ). the rear surface of control panel 80 may include instructions 91 . passageway 62 is opened by moving a slide 92 with an attached knob 94 from the position shown on fig3 to the position shown on fig4 to open the inner end of the passageway and , thus , provide communication between the interior of the vault and the front of door 10 . in order to provide more secure closure of passageway 62 , the embodiment of the present invention shown on fig5 may be employed . here , rather than effecting closure of only one end of passageway 62 with a slide , such as slide 92 on fig3 and 4 , there is provided a solid tube 100 which can extend substantially throughout the passageway and which may be removably secured in place therein by advancing a threaded portion 102 into the inner end of the passageway . a knob 104 is provided at the inner end of tube 100 to aid in inserting and withdrawing the tube into and from passageway 62 . in use , once a person is locked in the vault , he locates control panel 80 , preferably by means of a continuously lit small light ( not shown ) indicating the position of the control panel , and switches on the fan which action may also turn on emergency lights in the vault . if food , water , or other items are required , these may be obtained through passageway 62 after moving slide 94 to its open position or by removing tube 100 from the passageway . otherwise , passageway 62 may be employed for the exiting of air , if necessary . it will be understood that the teachings of the present invention could be applied so that stale air is positively removed from the vault by reversing the flow of air produced by fan 66 , so that fresh air is drawn into the vault , for example , through passageway 62 , and such is within the intent of the present invention . it can be seen that the present invention may be employed without compromising the integrity of the vault walls or the vault door jamb . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained and , since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawing figures shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | 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 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | 8578bf83eca1457b124ea6fcc7348194553668c8a38cec4eefeb5e4f10309bf1 | 0.090332 | 0.004211 | 0.033203 | 0.000315 | 0.05835 | 0.008057 |
null | referring now to the drawing , on which the same elements are given consistent identifying numerals throughout the various figures thereof , there is shown a vault door , generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 , which door includes the elements of the present invention . for clarity , the locking / unlocking mechanisms incorporated in vault door 10 are not shown on the drawing figures and it will be understood that such mechanisms may be entirely conventional and that the details of any particularly type used will not affect the practicing of the present invention . with particular reference to fig1 - 3 , door 10 includes a removable locking unit 12 , a front panel 14 , a rectangular frame 16 , and a rear cover 18 . included in locking unit 12 is a center panel 24 on which are mounted lock combination dials 26 and 28 attached to lock spindles 30 and 32 , respectively , which lock spindles are disposed in lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . also mounted on center panel 24 is a door wheel 40 attached to door wheel spindle 42 which is disposed in door wheel spindle tube 44 . spindle tubes 34 , 36 , and 44 are welded between a front plate 48 and an intermediate plate 50 . a tempered glass relock protection plate 54 extends over a portion of the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 . a hinged cover 58 extends over the portion of center panel 24 containing lock combination dials 26 and 28 . so far , the elements described are entirely conventional . the conventional elements which have been revised , or new elements which have been added , for the present invention will now be described . still referring to fig1 - 3 , door wheel spindle 42 , rather than being solid as is the case with convention door wheel spindles , is hollow , thus forming a passageway 62 between the front of door 10 and the inside of the vault ( not shown ) on which the door is mounted . passageway 62 may be used to pass food and / or water to the person ( s ) trapped inside the vault . in order to compensate for not having a solid door wheel spindle 42 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 has been extended around the area of the door wheel spindle . to provide fresh air to the inside of the vault , a fan 66 is mounted inside center panel 24 to draw air through a fan grill 68 and force it through the existing clearances between lock spindles 30 and 32 and lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . to ensure that the air in fact passes through such clearances , a gasket 70 is provided between center panel 24 and front plate 48 . to provide a further passage for the air once it arrives at the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 is raised slightly from the rear surface of the intermediate plate and sealed thereto by a gasket 72 so that the air may pass through a channel 74 defined between the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 and the inside surface of relock protection plate 54 . from channel 74 , the air passes through an air duct 76 and exits into the vault through a ventilator grill 78 formed in a control panel 80 ( also fig4 ). mounted behind control panel 80 is a housing 86 which encloses an on / off switch 88 ( fig4 ) and an on / off indicator light 90 ( fig4 ). the rear surface of control panel 80 may include instructions 91 . passageway 62 is opened by moving a slide 92 with an attached knob 94 from the position shown on fig3 to the position shown on fig4 to open the inner end of the passageway and , thus , provide communication between the interior of the vault and the front of door 10 . in order to provide more secure closure of passageway 62 , the embodiment of the present invention shown on fig5 may be employed . here , rather than effecting closure of only one end of passageway 62 with a slide , such as slide 92 on fig3 and 4 , there is provided a solid tube 100 which can extend substantially throughout the passageway and which may be removably secured in place therein by advancing a threaded portion 102 into the inner end of the passageway . a knob 104 is provided at the inner end of tube 100 to aid in inserting and withdrawing the tube into and from passageway 62 . in use , once a person is locked in the vault , he locates control panel 80 , preferably by means of a continuously lit small light ( not shown ) indicating the position of the control panel , and switches on the fan which action may also turn on emergency lights in the vault . if food , water , or other items are required , these may be obtained through passageway 62 after moving slide 94 to its open position or by removing tube 100 from the passageway . otherwise , passageway 62 may be employed for the exiting of air , if necessary . it will be understood that the teachings of the present invention could be applied so that stale air is positively removed from the vault by reversing the flow of air produced by fan 66 , so that fresh air is drawn into the vault , for example , through passageway 62 , and such is within the intent of the present invention . it can be seen that the present invention may be employed without compromising the integrity of the vault walls or the vault door jamb . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained and , since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawing figures shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | 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 'Physics'? | 0.25 | 8578bf83eca1457b124ea6fcc7348194553668c8a38cec4eefeb5e4f10309bf1 | 0.090332 | 0.016968 | 0.033203 | 0.001701 | 0.05835 | 0.028442 |
null | referring now to the drawing , on which the same elements are given consistent identifying numerals throughout the various figures thereof , there is shown a vault door , generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 , which door includes the elements of the present invention . for clarity , the locking / unlocking mechanisms incorporated in vault door 10 are not shown on the drawing figures and it will be understood that such mechanisms may be entirely conventional and that the details of any particularly type used will not affect the practicing of the present invention . with particular reference to fig1 - 3 , door 10 includes a removable locking unit 12 , a front panel 14 , a rectangular frame 16 , and a rear cover 18 . included in locking unit 12 is a center panel 24 on which are mounted lock combination dials 26 and 28 attached to lock spindles 30 and 32 , respectively , which lock spindles are disposed in lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . also mounted on center panel 24 is a door wheel 40 attached to door wheel spindle 42 which is disposed in door wheel spindle tube 44 . spindle tubes 34 , 36 , and 44 are welded between a front plate 48 and an intermediate plate 50 . a tempered glass relock protection plate 54 extends over a portion of the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 . a hinged cover 58 extends over the portion of center panel 24 containing lock combination dials 26 and 28 . so far , the elements described are entirely conventional . the conventional elements which have been revised , or new elements which have been added , for the present invention will now be described . still referring to fig1 - 3 , door wheel spindle 42 , rather than being solid as is the case with convention door wheel spindles , is hollow , thus forming a passageway 62 between the front of door 10 and the inside of the vault ( not shown ) on which the door is mounted . passageway 62 may be used to pass food and / or water to the person ( s ) trapped inside the vault . in order to compensate for not having a solid door wheel spindle 42 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 has been extended around the area of the door wheel spindle . to provide fresh air to the inside of the vault , a fan 66 is mounted inside center panel 24 to draw air through a fan grill 68 and force it through the existing clearances between lock spindles 30 and 32 and lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . to ensure that the air in fact passes through such clearances , a gasket 70 is provided between center panel 24 and front plate 48 . to provide a further passage for the air once it arrives at the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 is raised slightly from the rear surface of the intermediate plate and sealed thereto by a gasket 72 so that the air may pass through a channel 74 defined between the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 and the inside surface of relock protection plate 54 . from channel 74 , the air passes through an air duct 76 and exits into the vault through a ventilator grill 78 formed in a control panel 80 ( also fig4 ). mounted behind control panel 80 is a housing 86 which encloses an on / off switch 88 ( fig4 ) and an on / off indicator light 90 ( fig4 ). the rear surface of control panel 80 may include instructions 91 . passageway 62 is opened by moving a slide 92 with an attached knob 94 from the position shown on fig3 to the position shown on fig4 to open the inner end of the passageway and , thus , provide communication between the interior of the vault and the front of door 10 . in order to provide more secure closure of passageway 62 , the embodiment of the present invention shown on fig5 may be employed . here , rather than effecting closure of only one end of passageway 62 with a slide , such as slide 92 on fig3 and 4 , there is provided a solid tube 100 which can extend substantially throughout the passageway and which may be removably secured in place therein by advancing a threaded portion 102 into the inner end of the passageway . a knob 104 is provided at the inner end of tube 100 to aid in inserting and withdrawing the tube into and from passageway 62 . in use , once a person is locked in the vault , he locates control panel 80 , preferably by means of a continuously lit small light ( not shown ) indicating the position of the control panel , and switches on the fan which action may also turn on emergency lights in the vault . if food , water , or other items are required , these may be obtained through passageway 62 after moving slide 94 to its open position or by removing tube 100 from the passageway . otherwise , passageway 62 may be employed for the exiting of air , if necessary . it will be understood that the teachings of the present invention could be applied so that stale air is positively removed from the vault by reversing the flow of air produced by fan 66 , so that fresh air is drawn into the vault , for example , through passageway 62 , and such is within the intent of the present invention . it can be seen that the present invention may be employed without compromising the integrity of the vault walls or the vault door jamb . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained and , since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawing figures shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | Is 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology' the correct technical category for the patent? | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | 8578bf83eca1457b124ea6fcc7348194553668c8a38cec4eefeb5e4f10309bf1 | 0.090332 | 0.008606 | 0.04541 | 0.009155 | 0.071777 | 0.000169 |
null | fig1 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the invention . fig2 is a circuit diagram showing the circuit configuration of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment . referring now to fig1 , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . the n - type well layer 2 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of n - type well player 2 , p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are formed such that p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are spaced apart from each other . depletion - type nmosfet 21 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 3 . enhancement - type nmosfet 22 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 4 . in depletion - type nmosfet 21 , n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 such that n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed such that n − - type depletion layer 7 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 . an impurity such as phosphorus ( p 31 ) is doped in n − - type depletion layer 7 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , p + - type pickup layer 8 is also formed . gate electrode 10 is formed above n − - type depletion layer 7 with gate oxide film 9 interposed between n − - type depletion layer 7 and gate electrode 10 . for example , gate oxide film 9 is 170 å in thickness . in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 , n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 such that n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed such that p − - type channel layer 13 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p + - type pickup layer 14 is also formed . gate electrode 16 is formed above p − - type channel layer 13 with gate oxide film 15 interposed between p − - type channel layer is 13 and gate electrode 16 . for example , gate oxide film 15 is 170 å in thickness . field oxide film 17 is formed in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 such that field oxide film 17 spaces apart depletion - type nmosfet 21 and enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from each other . field oxide film 18 isolates depletion - type nmosfet 21 from the other devices not shown . field oxide film 19 isolates enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from the other devices not shown . output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . now the method for manufacturing a mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment of the invention will be described below . first , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . then , field oxide films 17 , 18 and 19 are formed . in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 , p - type well layers 3 and 4 are formed . then , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 . depletion layer 7 is doped , for example , with phosphorus ( p 31 ). then , gate oxide film 9 of , for example , 170 □ in thickness is formed on n − - type depletion layer 7 . further , gate electrode 10 is deposited on gate oxide film 9 . in p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed . then , gate oxide film 15 of , for example , 170 å in thickness is formed on p − - type channel layer 13 . further , gate electrode 16 is deposited on gate oxide film 15 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any n + - type layer will not be formed . then , n + - type drain layers 5 , 11 and n + - type source layers 6 , 12 are formed by implanting n - type impurity ions over gate electrode 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any p + - type layer will not be formed . then , p + - type pickup layers 8 and 14 are formed by implanting p - type impurity ions over gate electrodes 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . then , output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . in fig2 , depletion - type nmosfet 31 and enhancement - type nmosfet 32 are shown . fig3 is a block circuit diagram describing the configuration of a voltage detecting circuit that uses the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig3 , voltage detecting circuit section 42 in voltage detecting circuit 40 includes comparators 44 connected to respective lithium battery cells 41 , and mos reference voltage circuits 43 which feed reference voltages to respective comparators 44 . mos reference voltage circuit 43 is configured by the semiconductor device shown in fig1 and 2 . if the cell voltage of each lithium battery cell 41 is 4 . 0 v , the high - potential - side voltage of the battery , which includes four lithium battery cells 41 as shown in fig3 , will be 16 v . mos reference voltage circuit 43 according to the first embodiment is connected to the reference - potential - side of each lithium battery cell 41 . therefore , it is effective to divide the voltage difference of 4 . 0 v and to feed the divided voltage difference to the input - potential - side of each comparator 44 . since comparator 44 is disposed for every lithium battery cell 41 in the mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment , the voltage of every lithium battery cell 41 is detectable . when the battery includes four lithium battery cells , the error caused by the resistance for dividing the high - voltage cell potential and for obtaining a low voltage is suppressed to be ¼ the error caused in the conventional voltage detecting circuit including one comparator . therefore , the voltage of every cell in the battery including many battery cells is detected very precisely according to the first embodiment of the invention . in detail , when the battery includes four lithium battery cells 41 , the voltage for over - charge detection is different by the magnitude of several tens mv from maker to maker according to the prior art . further , for trimming the detected charging voltage finely , it is necessary for voltage dividing resistance r 1 ( cf . fig7 ) to be 16 mω to 20 mω . in contrast , for dividing the voltage of each cell according to the invention , it is enough for the voltage dividing resistance to be 4 mω to 5 mω . therefore , the error caused by the voltage dividing resistance according to the invention is ¼ the error caused according to the prior art . as described above , the precision , with which the voltage of the battery including many cells is detected , is improved and the safety of battery charging is improved . according to the first embodiment , the circuit for detecting the voltages of the respective cells included in a battery can be configured on one chip . fig4 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a second embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment is different from the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment in that gate oxide films 51 and 52 thereof are around 300 □ in thickness . generally , the recommended operating voltage per the thickness of a gate oxide film in the mosfet is from 3 . 0 mv / cm to 3 . 3 mv / cm . therefore , the gate oxide film is 300 å in thickness for sustaining the breakdown voltage of around 10 v . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment facilitates detecting a voltage very precisely when it is required for the semiconductor device to exhibit a breakdown voltage of around 10 v . fig5 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is different from the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments in that the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is manufactured using an epitaxial substrate . as shown in fig5 , the epitaxial substrate includes n - type buried layer 71 on p - type substrate 1 , and p - type epitaxial layer 72 laminated on n - type buried layer 71 . epitaxial layer 72 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of p - type epitaxial layer 72 , p - type well layer 73 is formed . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 73 , depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are formed such that depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are spaced apart from each other . by making the potential of p - type epitaxial layer 72 float , the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment obtains the effects similar to the effects which the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments exhibit . as described above , the semiconductor device according to the invention is very useful for a reference voltage circuit . especially , the semiconductor device according to the invention is suitable for a voltage detecting circuit for detecting the voltage of a battery such as a lithium ion battery . this application is based on , and claims priority to , japanese patent application no : 2007 - 238924 , filed on sep . 14 , 2007 . the disclosure of the priority application , in its entirety , including the drawings , claims , and the specification thereof , is incorporated herein by reference . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Electricity'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | c1183272c8501167ddddbad869778c28fe255b33815b84ab7dcc936c07d50dac | 0.419922 | 0.008301 | 0.035645 | 0.000017 | 0.316406 | 0.004913 |
null | fig1 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the invention . fig2 is a circuit diagram showing the circuit configuration of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment . referring now to fig1 , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . the n - type well layer 2 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of n - type well player 2 , p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are formed such that p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are spaced apart from each other . depletion - type nmosfet 21 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 3 . enhancement - type nmosfet 22 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 4 . in depletion - type nmosfet 21 , n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 such that n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed such that n − - type depletion layer 7 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 . an impurity such as phosphorus ( p 31 ) is doped in n − - type depletion layer 7 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , p + - type pickup layer 8 is also formed . gate electrode 10 is formed above n − - type depletion layer 7 with gate oxide film 9 interposed between n − - type depletion layer 7 and gate electrode 10 . for example , gate oxide film 9 is 170 å in thickness . in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 , n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 such that n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed such that p − - type channel layer 13 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p + - type pickup layer 14 is also formed . gate electrode 16 is formed above p − - type channel layer 13 with gate oxide film 15 interposed between p − - type channel layer is 13 and gate electrode 16 . for example , gate oxide film 15 is 170 å in thickness . field oxide film 17 is formed in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 such that field oxide film 17 spaces apart depletion - type nmosfet 21 and enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from each other . field oxide film 18 isolates depletion - type nmosfet 21 from the other devices not shown . field oxide film 19 isolates enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from the other devices not shown . output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . now the method for manufacturing a mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment of the invention will be described below . first , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . then , field oxide films 17 , 18 and 19 are formed . in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 , p - type well layers 3 and 4 are formed . then , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 . depletion layer 7 is doped , for example , with phosphorus ( p 31 ). then , gate oxide film 9 of , for example , 170 □ in thickness is formed on n − - type depletion layer 7 . further , gate electrode 10 is deposited on gate oxide film 9 . in p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed . then , gate oxide film 15 of , for example , 170 å in thickness is formed on p − - type channel layer 13 . further , gate electrode 16 is deposited on gate oxide film 15 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any n + - type layer will not be formed . then , n + - type drain layers 5 , 11 and n + - type source layers 6 , 12 are formed by implanting n - type impurity ions over gate electrode 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any p + - type layer will not be formed . then , p + - type pickup layers 8 and 14 are formed by implanting p - type impurity ions over gate electrodes 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . then , output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . in fig2 , depletion - type nmosfet 31 and enhancement - type nmosfet 32 are shown . fig3 is a block circuit diagram describing the configuration of a voltage detecting circuit that uses the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig3 , voltage detecting circuit section 42 in voltage detecting circuit 40 includes comparators 44 connected to respective lithium battery cells 41 , and mos reference voltage circuits 43 which feed reference voltages to respective comparators 44 . mos reference voltage circuit 43 is configured by the semiconductor device shown in fig1 and 2 . if the cell voltage of each lithium battery cell 41 is 4 . 0 v , the high - potential - side voltage of the battery , which includes four lithium battery cells 41 as shown in fig3 , will be 16 v . mos reference voltage circuit 43 according to the first embodiment is connected to the reference - potential - side of each lithium battery cell 41 . therefore , it is effective to divide the voltage difference of 4 . 0 v and to feed the divided voltage difference to the input - potential - side of each comparator 44 . since comparator 44 is disposed for every lithium battery cell 41 in the mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment , the voltage of every lithium battery cell 41 is detectable . when the battery includes four lithium battery cells , the error caused by the resistance for dividing the high - voltage cell potential and for obtaining a low voltage is suppressed to be ¼ the error caused in the conventional voltage detecting circuit including one comparator . therefore , the voltage of every cell in the battery including many battery cells is detected very precisely according to the first embodiment of the invention . in detail , when the battery includes four lithium battery cells 41 , the voltage for over - charge detection is different by the magnitude of several tens mv from maker to maker according to the prior art . further , for trimming the detected charging voltage finely , it is necessary for voltage dividing resistance r 1 ( cf . fig7 ) to be 16 mω to 20 mω . in contrast , for dividing the voltage of each cell according to the invention , it is enough for the voltage dividing resistance to be 4 mω to 5 mω . therefore , the error caused by the voltage dividing resistance according to the invention is ¼ the error caused according to the prior art . as described above , the precision , with which the voltage of the battery including many cells is detected , is improved and the safety of battery charging is improved . according to the first embodiment , the circuit for detecting the voltages of the respective cells included in a battery can be configured on one chip . fig4 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a second embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment is different from the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment in that gate oxide films 51 and 52 thereof are around 300 □ in thickness . generally , the recommended operating voltage per the thickness of a gate oxide film in the mosfet is from 3 . 0 mv / cm to 3 . 3 mv / cm . therefore , the gate oxide film is 300 å in thickness for sustaining the breakdown voltage of around 10 v . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment facilitates detecting a voltage very precisely when it is required for the semiconductor device to exhibit a breakdown voltage of around 10 v . fig5 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is different from the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments in that the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is manufactured using an epitaxial substrate . as shown in fig5 , the epitaxial substrate includes n - type buried layer 71 on p - type substrate 1 , and p - type epitaxial layer 72 laminated on n - type buried layer 71 . epitaxial layer 72 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of p - type epitaxial layer 72 , p - type well layer 73 is formed . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 73 , depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are formed such that depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are spaced apart from each other . by making the potential of p - type epitaxial layer 72 float , the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment obtains the effects similar to the effects which the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments exhibit . as described above , the semiconductor device according to the invention is very useful for a reference voltage circuit . especially , the semiconductor device according to the invention is suitable for a voltage detecting circuit for detecting the voltage of a battery such as a lithium ion battery . this application is based on , and claims priority to , japanese patent application no : 2007 - 238924 , filed on sep . 14 , 2007 . the disclosure of the priority application , in its entirety , including the drawings , claims , and the specification thereof , is incorporated herein by reference . | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | c1183272c8501167ddddbad869778c28fe255b33815b84ab7dcc936c07d50dac | 0.125977 | 0.003372 | 0.004761 | 0.000203 | 0.026367 | 0.014954 |
null | fig1 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the invention . fig2 is a circuit diagram showing the circuit configuration of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment . referring now to fig1 , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . the n - type well layer 2 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of n - type well player 2 , p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are formed such that p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are spaced apart from each other . depletion - type nmosfet 21 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 3 . enhancement - type nmosfet 22 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 4 . in depletion - type nmosfet 21 , n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 such that n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed such that n − - type depletion layer 7 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 . an impurity such as phosphorus ( p 31 ) is doped in n − - type depletion layer 7 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , p + - type pickup layer 8 is also formed . gate electrode 10 is formed above n − - type depletion layer 7 with gate oxide film 9 interposed between n − - type depletion layer 7 and gate electrode 10 . for example , gate oxide film 9 is 170 å in thickness . in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 , n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 such that n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed such that p − - type channel layer 13 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p + - type pickup layer 14 is also formed . gate electrode 16 is formed above p − - type channel layer 13 with gate oxide film 15 interposed between p − - type channel layer is 13 and gate electrode 16 . for example , gate oxide film 15 is 170 å in thickness . field oxide film 17 is formed in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 such that field oxide film 17 spaces apart depletion - type nmosfet 21 and enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from each other . field oxide film 18 isolates depletion - type nmosfet 21 from the other devices not shown . field oxide film 19 isolates enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from the other devices not shown . output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . now the method for manufacturing a mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment of the invention will be described below . first , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . then , field oxide films 17 , 18 and 19 are formed . in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 , p - type well layers 3 and 4 are formed . then , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 . depletion layer 7 is doped , for example , with phosphorus ( p 31 ). then , gate oxide film 9 of , for example , 170 □ in thickness is formed on n − - type depletion layer 7 . further , gate electrode 10 is deposited on gate oxide film 9 . in p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed . then , gate oxide film 15 of , for example , 170 å in thickness is formed on p − - type channel layer 13 . further , gate electrode 16 is deposited on gate oxide film 15 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any n + - type layer will not be formed . then , n + - type drain layers 5 , 11 and n + - type source layers 6 , 12 are formed by implanting n - type impurity ions over gate electrode 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any p + - type layer will not be formed . then , p + - type pickup layers 8 and 14 are formed by implanting p - type impurity ions over gate electrodes 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . then , output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . in fig2 , depletion - type nmosfet 31 and enhancement - type nmosfet 32 are shown . fig3 is a block circuit diagram describing the configuration of a voltage detecting circuit that uses the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig3 , voltage detecting circuit section 42 in voltage detecting circuit 40 includes comparators 44 connected to respective lithium battery cells 41 , and mos reference voltage circuits 43 which feed reference voltages to respective comparators 44 . mos reference voltage circuit 43 is configured by the semiconductor device shown in fig1 and 2 . if the cell voltage of each lithium battery cell 41 is 4 . 0 v , the high - potential - side voltage of the battery , which includes four lithium battery cells 41 as shown in fig3 , will be 16 v . mos reference voltage circuit 43 according to the first embodiment is connected to the reference - potential - side of each lithium battery cell 41 . therefore , it is effective to divide the voltage difference of 4 . 0 v and to feed the divided voltage difference to the input - potential - side of each comparator 44 . since comparator 44 is disposed for every lithium battery cell 41 in the mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment , the voltage of every lithium battery cell 41 is detectable . when the battery includes four lithium battery cells , the error caused by the resistance for dividing the high - voltage cell potential and for obtaining a low voltage is suppressed to be ¼ the error caused in the conventional voltage detecting circuit including one comparator . therefore , the voltage of every cell in the battery including many battery cells is detected very precisely according to the first embodiment of the invention . in detail , when the battery includes four lithium battery cells 41 , the voltage for over - charge detection is different by the magnitude of several tens mv from maker to maker according to the prior art . further , for trimming the detected charging voltage finely , it is necessary for voltage dividing resistance r 1 ( cf . fig7 ) to be 16 mω to 20 mω . in contrast , for dividing the voltage of each cell according to the invention , it is enough for the voltage dividing resistance to be 4 mω to 5 mω . therefore , the error caused by the voltage dividing resistance according to the invention is ¼ the error caused according to the prior art . as described above , the precision , with which the voltage of the battery including many cells is detected , is improved and the safety of battery charging is improved . according to the first embodiment , the circuit for detecting the voltages of the respective cells included in a battery can be configured on one chip . fig4 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a second embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment is different from the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment in that gate oxide films 51 and 52 thereof are around 300 □ in thickness . generally , the recommended operating voltage per the thickness of a gate oxide film in the mosfet is from 3 . 0 mv / cm to 3 . 3 mv / cm . therefore , the gate oxide film is 300 å in thickness for sustaining the breakdown voltage of around 10 v . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment facilitates detecting a voltage very precisely when it is required for the semiconductor device to exhibit a breakdown voltage of around 10 v . fig5 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is different from the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments in that the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is manufactured using an epitaxial substrate . as shown in fig5 , the epitaxial substrate includes n - type buried layer 71 on p - type substrate 1 , and p - type epitaxial layer 72 laminated on n - type buried layer 71 . epitaxial layer 72 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of p - type epitaxial layer 72 , p - type well layer 73 is formed . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 73 , depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are formed such that depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are spaced apart from each other . by making the potential of p - type epitaxial layer 72 float , the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment obtains the effects similar to the effects which the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments exhibit . as described above , the semiconductor device according to the invention is very useful for a reference voltage circuit . especially , the semiconductor device according to the invention is suitable for a voltage detecting circuit for detecting the voltage of a battery such as a lithium ion battery . this application is based on , and claims priority to , japanese patent application no : 2007 - 238924 , filed on sep . 14 , 2007 . the disclosure of the priority application , in its entirety , including the drawings , claims , and the specification thereof , is incorporated herein by reference . | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | c1183272c8501167ddddbad869778c28fe255b33815b84ab7dcc936c07d50dac | 0.135742 | 0.017944 | 0.004761 | 0.000828 | 0.026367 | 0.019165 |
null | fig1 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the invention . fig2 is a circuit diagram showing the circuit configuration of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment . referring now to fig1 , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . the n - type well layer 2 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of n - type well player 2 , p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are formed such that p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are spaced apart from each other . depletion - type nmosfet 21 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 3 . enhancement - type nmosfet 22 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 4 . in depletion - type nmosfet 21 , n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 such that n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed such that n − - type depletion layer 7 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 . an impurity such as phosphorus ( p 31 ) is doped in n − - type depletion layer 7 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , p + - type pickup layer 8 is also formed . gate electrode 10 is formed above n − - type depletion layer 7 with gate oxide film 9 interposed between n − - type depletion layer 7 and gate electrode 10 . for example , gate oxide film 9 is 170 å in thickness . in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 , n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 such that n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed such that p − - type channel layer 13 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p + - type pickup layer 14 is also formed . gate electrode 16 is formed above p − - type channel layer 13 with gate oxide film 15 interposed between p − - type channel layer is 13 and gate electrode 16 . for example , gate oxide film 15 is 170 å in thickness . field oxide film 17 is formed in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 such that field oxide film 17 spaces apart depletion - type nmosfet 21 and enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from each other . field oxide film 18 isolates depletion - type nmosfet 21 from the other devices not shown . field oxide film 19 isolates enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from the other devices not shown . output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . now the method for manufacturing a mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment of the invention will be described below . first , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . then , field oxide films 17 , 18 and 19 are formed . in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 , p - type well layers 3 and 4 are formed . then , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 . depletion layer 7 is doped , for example , with phosphorus ( p 31 ). then , gate oxide film 9 of , for example , 170 □ in thickness is formed on n − - type depletion layer 7 . further , gate electrode 10 is deposited on gate oxide film 9 . in p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed . then , gate oxide film 15 of , for example , 170 å in thickness is formed on p − - type channel layer 13 . further , gate electrode 16 is deposited on gate oxide film 15 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any n + - type layer will not be formed . then , n + - type drain layers 5 , 11 and n + - type source layers 6 , 12 are formed by implanting n - type impurity ions over gate electrode 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any p + - type layer will not be formed . then , p + - type pickup layers 8 and 14 are formed by implanting p - type impurity ions over gate electrodes 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . then , output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . in fig2 , depletion - type nmosfet 31 and enhancement - type nmosfet 32 are shown . fig3 is a block circuit diagram describing the configuration of a voltage detecting circuit that uses the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig3 , voltage detecting circuit section 42 in voltage detecting circuit 40 includes comparators 44 connected to respective lithium battery cells 41 , and mos reference voltage circuits 43 which feed reference voltages to respective comparators 44 . mos reference voltage circuit 43 is configured by the semiconductor device shown in fig1 and 2 . if the cell voltage of each lithium battery cell 41 is 4 . 0 v , the high - potential - side voltage of the battery , which includes four lithium battery cells 41 as shown in fig3 , will be 16 v . mos reference voltage circuit 43 according to the first embodiment is connected to the reference - potential - side of each lithium battery cell 41 . therefore , it is effective to divide the voltage difference of 4 . 0 v and to feed the divided voltage difference to the input - potential - side of each comparator 44 . since comparator 44 is disposed for every lithium battery cell 41 in the mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment , the voltage of every lithium battery cell 41 is detectable . when the battery includes four lithium battery cells , the error caused by the resistance for dividing the high - voltage cell potential and for obtaining a low voltage is suppressed to be ¼ the error caused in the conventional voltage detecting circuit including one comparator . therefore , the voltage of every cell in the battery including many battery cells is detected very precisely according to the first embodiment of the invention . in detail , when the battery includes four lithium battery cells 41 , the voltage for over - charge detection is different by the magnitude of several tens mv from maker to maker according to the prior art . further , for trimming the detected charging voltage finely , it is necessary for voltage dividing resistance r 1 ( cf . fig7 ) to be 16 mω to 20 mω . in contrast , for dividing the voltage of each cell according to the invention , it is enough for the voltage dividing resistance to be 4 mω to 5 mω . therefore , the error caused by the voltage dividing resistance according to the invention is ¼ the error caused according to the prior art . as described above , the precision , with which the voltage of the battery including many cells is detected , is improved and the safety of battery charging is improved . according to the first embodiment , the circuit for detecting the voltages of the respective cells included in a battery can be configured on one chip . fig4 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a second embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment is different from the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment in that gate oxide films 51 and 52 thereof are around 300 □ in thickness . generally , the recommended operating voltage per the thickness of a gate oxide film in the mosfet is from 3 . 0 mv / cm to 3 . 3 mv / cm . therefore , the gate oxide film is 300 å in thickness for sustaining the breakdown voltage of around 10 v . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment facilitates detecting a voltage very precisely when it is required for the semiconductor device to exhibit a breakdown voltage of around 10 v . fig5 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is different from the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments in that the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is manufactured using an epitaxial substrate . as shown in fig5 , the epitaxial substrate includes n - type buried layer 71 on p - type substrate 1 , and p - type epitaxial layer 72 laminated on n - type buried layer 71 . epitaxial layer 72 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of p - type epitaxial layer 72 , p - type well layer 73 is formed . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 73 , depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are formed such that depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are spaced apart from each other . by making the potential of p - type epitaxial layer 72 float , the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment obtains the effects similar to the effects which the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments exhibit . as described above , the semiconductor device according to the invention is very useful for a reference voltage circuit . especially , the semiconductor device according to the invention is suitable for a voltage detecting circuit for detecting the voltage of a battery such as a lithium ion battery . this application is based on , and claims priority to , japanese patent application no : 2007 - 238924 , filed on sep . 14 , 2007 . the disclosure of the priority application , in its entirety , including the drawings , claims , and the specification thereof , is incorporated herein by reference . | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | Is 'Textiles; Paper' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | c1183272c8501167ddddbad869778c28fe255b33815b84ab7dcc936c07d50dac | 0.125977 | 0.000149 | 0.004761 | 0.000008 | 0.026367 | 0.002808 |
null | fig1 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the invention . fig2 is a circuit diagram showing the circuit configuration of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment . referring now to fig1 , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . the n - type well layer 2 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of n - type well player 2 , p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are formed such that p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are spaced apart from each other . depletion - type nmosfet 21 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 3 . enhancement - type nmosfet 22 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 4 . in depletion - type nmosfet 21 , n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 such that n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed such that n − - type depletion layer 7 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 . an impurity such as phosphorus ( p 31 ) is doped in n − - type depletion layer 7 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , p + - type pickup layer 8 is also formed . gate electrode 10 is formed above n − - type depletion layer 7 with gate oxide film 9 interposed between n − - type depletion layer 7 and gate electrode 10 . for example , gate oxide film 9 is 170 å in thickness . in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 , n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 such that n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed such that p − - type channel layer 13 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p + - type pickup layer 14 is also formed . gate electrode 16 is formed above p − - type channel layer 13 with gate oxide film 15 interposed between p − - type channel layer is 13 and gate electrode 16 . for example , gate oxide film 15 is 170 å in thickness . field oxide film 17 is formed in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 such that field oxide film 17 spaces apart depletion - type nmosfet 21 and enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from each other . field oxide film 18 isolates depletion - type nmosfet 21 from the other devices not shown . field oxide film 19 isolates enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from the other devices not shown . output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . now the method for manufacturing a mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment of the invention will be described below . first , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . then , field oxide films 17 , 18 and 19 are formed . in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 , p - type well layers 3 and 4 are formed . then , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 . depletion layer 7 is doped , for example , with phosphorus ( p 31 ). then , gate oxide film 9 of , for example , 170 □ in thickness is formed on n − - type depletion layer 7 . further , gate electrode 10 is deposited on gate oxide film 9 . in p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed . then , gate oxide film 15 of , for example , 170 å in thickness is formed on p − - type channel layer 13 . further , gate electrode 16 is deposited on gate oxide film 15 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any n + - type layer will not be formed . then , n + - type drain layers 5 , 11 and n + - type source layers 6 , 12 are formed by implanting n - type impurity ions over gate electrode 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any p + - type layer will not be formed . then , p + - type pickup layers 8 and 14 are formed by implanting p - type impurity ions over gate electrodes 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . then , output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . in fig2 , depletion - type nmosfet 31 and enhancement - type nmosfet 32 are shown . fig3 is a block circuit diagram describing the configuration of a voltage detecting circuit that uses the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig3 , voltage detecting circuit section 42 in voltage detecting circuit 40 includes comparators 44 connected to respective lithium battery cells 41 , and mos reference voltage circuits 43 which feed reference voltages to respective comparators 44 . mos reference voltage circuit 43 is configured by the semiconductor device shown in fig1 and 2 . if the cell voltage of each lithium battery cell 41 is 4 . 0 v , the high - potential - side voltage of the battery , which includes four lithium battery cells 41 as shown in fig3 , will be 16 v . mos reference voltage circuit 43 according to the first embodiment is connected to the reference - potential - side of each lithium battery cell 41 . therefore , it is effective to divide the voltage difference of 4 . 0 v and to feed the divided voltage difference to the input - potential - side of each comparator 44 . since comparator 44 is disposed for every lithium battery cell 41 in the mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment , the voltage of every lithium battery cell 41 is detectable . when the battery includes four lithium battery cells , the error caused by the resistance for dividing the high - voltage cell potential and for obtaining a low voltage is suppressed to be ¼ the error caused in the conventional voltage detecting circuit including one comparator . therefore , the voltage of every cell in the battery including many battery cells is detected very precisely according to the first embodiment of the invention . in detail , when the battery includes four lithium battery cells 41 , the voltage for over - charge detection is different by the magnitude of several tens mv from maker to maker according to the prior art . further , for trimming the detected charging voltage finely , it is necessary for voltage dividing resistance r 1 ( cf . fig7 ) to be 16 mω to 20 mω . in contrast , for dividing the voltage of each cell according to the invention , it is enough for the voltage dividing resistance to be 4 mω to 5 mω . therefore , the error caused by the voltage dividing resistance according to the invention is ¼ the error caused according to the prior art . as described above , the precision , with which the voltage of the battery including many cells is detected , is improved and the safety of battery charging is improved . according to the first embodiment , the circuit for detecting the voltages of the respective cells included in a battery can be configured on one chip . fig4 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a second embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment is different from the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment in that gate oxide films 51 and 52 thereof are around 300 □ in thickness . generally , the recommended operating voltage per the thickness of a gate oxide film in the mosfet is from 3 . 0 mv / cm to 3 . 3 mv / cm . therefore , the gate oxide film is 300 å in thickness for sustaining the breakdown voltage of around 10 v . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment facilitates detecting a voltage very precisely when it is required for the semiconductor device to exhibit a breakdown voltage of around 10 v . fig5 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is different from the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments in that the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is manufactured using an epitaxial substrate . as shown in fig5 , the epitaxial substrate includes n - type buried layer 71 on p - type substrate 1 , and p - type epitaxial layer 72 laminated on n - type buried layer 71 . epitaxial layer 72 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of p - type epitaxial layer 72 , p - type well layer 73 is formed . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 73 , depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are formed such that depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are spaced apart from each other . by making the potential of p - type epitaxial layer 72 float , the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment obtains the effects similar to the effects which the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments exhibit . as described above , the semiconductor device according to the invention is very useful for a reference voltage circuit . especially , the semiconductor device according to the invention is suitable for a voltage detecting circuit for detecting the voltage of a battery such as a lithium ion battery . this application is based on , and claims priority to , japanese patent application no : 2007 - 238924 , filed on sep . 14 , 2007 . the disclosure of the priority application , in its entirety , including the drawings , claims , and the specification thereof , is incorporated herein by reference . | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | c1183272c8501167ddddbad869778c28fe255b33815b84ab7dcc936c07d50dac | 0.136719 | 0.002548 | 0.004761 | 0.000473 | 0.026367 | 0.012024 |
null | fig1 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the invention . fig2 is a circuit diagram showing the circuit configuration of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment . referring now to fig1 , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . the n - type well layer 2 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of n - type well player 2 , p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are formed such that p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are spaced apart from each other . depletion - type nmosfet 21 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 3 . enhancement - type nmosfet 22 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 4 . in depletion - type nmosfet 21 , n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 such that n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed such that n − - type depletion layer 7 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 . an impurity such as phosphorus ( p 31 ) is doped in n − - type depletion layer 7 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , p + - type pickup layer 8 is also formed . gate electrode 10 is formed above n − - type depletion layer 7 with gate oxide film 9 interposed between n − - type depletion layer 7 and gate electrode 10 . for example , gate oxide film 9 is 170 å in thickness . in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 , n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 such that n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed such that p − - type channel layer 13 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p + - type pickup layer 14 is also formed . gate electrode 16 is formed above p − - type channel layer 13 with gate oxide film 15 interposed between p − - type channel layer is 13 and gate electrode 16 . for example , gate oxide film 15 is 170 å in thickness . field oxide film 17 is formed in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 such that field oxide film 17 spaces apart depletion - type nmosfet 21 and enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from each other . field oxide film 18 isolates depletion - type nmosfet 21 from the other devices not shown . field oxide film 19 isolates enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from the other devices not shown . output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . now the method for manufacturing a mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment of the invention will be described below . first , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . then , field oxide films 17 , 18 and 19 are formed . in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 , p - type well layers 3 and 4 are formed . then , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 . depletion layer 7 is doped , for example , with phosphorus ( p 31 ). then , gate oxide film 9 of , for example , 170 □ in thickness is formed on n − - type depletion layer 7 . further , gate electrode 10 is deposited on gate oxide film 9 . in p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed . then , gate oxide film 15 of , for example , 170 å in thickness is formed on p − - type channel layer 13 . further , gate electrode 16 is deposited on gate oxide film 15 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any n + - type layer will not be formed . then , n + - type drain layers 5 , 11 and n + - type source layers 6 , 12 are formed by implanting n - type impurity ions over gate electrode 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any p + - type layer will not be formed . then , p + - type pickup layers 8 and 14 are formed by implanting p - type impurity ions over gate electrodes 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . then , output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . in fig2 , depletion - type nmosfet 31 and enhancement - type nmosfet 32 are shown . fig3 is a block circuit diagram describing the configuration of a voltage detecting circuit that uses the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig3 , voltage detecting circuit section 42 in voltage detecting circuit 40 includes comparators 44 connected to respective lithium battery cells 41 , and mos reference voltage circuits 43 which feed reference voltages to respective comparators 44 . mos reference voltage circuit 43 is configured by the semiconductor device shown in fig1 and 2 . if the cell voltage of each lithium battery cell 41 is 4 . 0 v , the high - potential - side voltage of the battery , which includes four lithium battery cells 41 as shown in fig3 , will be 16 v . mos reference voltage circuit 43 according to the first embodiment is connected to the reference - potential - side of each lithium battery cell 41 . therefore , it is effective to divide the voltage difference of 4 . 0 v and to feed the divided voltage difference to the input - potential - side of each comparator 44 . since comparator 44 is disposed for every lithium battery cell 41 in the mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment , the voltage of every lithium battery cell 41 is detectable . when the battery includes four lithium battery cells , the error caused by the resistance for dividing the high - voltage cell potential and for obtaining a low voltage is suppressed to be ¼ the error caused in the conventional voltage detecting circuit including one comparator . therefore , the voltage of every cell in the battery including many battery cells is detected very precisely according to the first embodiment of the invention . in detail , when the battery includes four lithium battery cells 41 , the voltage for over - charge detection is different by the magnitude of several tens mv from maker to maker according to the prior art . further , for trimming the detected charging voltage finely , it is necessary for voltage dividing resistance r 1 ( cf . fig7 ) to be 16 mω to 20 mω . in contrast , for dividing the voltage of each cell according to the invention , it is enough for the voltage dividing resistance to be 4 mω to 5 mω . therefore , the error caused by the voltage dividing resistance according to the invention is ¼ the error caused according to the prior art . as described above , the precision , with which the voltage of the battery including many cells is detected , is improved and the safety of battery charging is improved . according to the first embodiment , the circuit for detecting the voltages of the respective cells included in a battery can be configured on one chip . fig4 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a second embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment is different from the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment in that gate oxide films 51 and 52 thereof are around 300 □ in thickness . generally , the recommended operating voltage per the thickness of a gate oxide film in the mosfet is from 3 . 0 mv / cm to 3 . 3 mv / cm . therefore , the gate oxide film is 300 å in thickness for sustaining the breakdown voltage of around 10 v . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment facilitates detecting a voltage very precisely when it is required for the semiconductor device to exhibit a breakdown voltage of around 10 v . fig5 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is different from the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments in that the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is manufactured using an epitaxial substrate . as shown in fig5 , the epitaxial substrate includes n - type buried layer 71 on p - type substrate 1 , and p - type epitaxial layer 72 laminated on n - type buried layer 71 . epitaxial layer 72 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of p - type epitaxial layer 72 , p - type well layer 73 is formed . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 73 , depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are formed such that depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are spaced apart from each other . by making the potential of p - type epitaxial layer 72 float , the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment obtains the effects similar to the effects which the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments exhibit . as described above , the semiconductor device according to the invention is very useful for a reference voltage circuit . especially , the semiconductor device according to the invention is suitable for a voltage detecting circuit for detecting the voltage of a battery such as a lithium ion battery . this application is based on , and claims priority to , japanese patent application no : 2007 - 238924 , filed on sep . 14 , 2007 . the disclosure of the priority application , in its entirety , including the drawings , claims , and the specification thereof , is incorporated herein by reference . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Electricity'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | c1183272c8501167ddddbad869778c28fe255b33815b84ab7dcc936c07d50dac | 0.419922 | 0.00007 | 0.035645 | 0.000038 | 0.316406 | 0.001457 |
null | fig1 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the invention . fig2 is a circuit diagram showing the circuit configuration of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment . referring now to fig1 , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . the n - type well layer 2 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of n - type well player 2 , p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are formed such that p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are spaced apart from each other . depletion - type nmosfet 21 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 3 . enhancement - type nmosfet 22 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 4 . in depletion - type nmosfet 21 , n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 such that n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed such that n − - type depletion layer 7 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 . an impurity such as phosphorus ( p 31 ) is doped in n − - type depletion layer 7 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , p + - type pickup layer 8 is also formed . gate electrode 10 is formed above n − - type depletion layer 7 with gate oxide film 9 interposed between n − - type depletion layer 7 and gate electrode 10 . for example , gate oxide film 9 is 170 å in thickness . in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 , n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 such that n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed such that p − - type channel layer 13 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p + - type pickup layer 14 is also formed . gate electrode 16 is formed above p − - type channel layer 13 with gate oxide film 15 interposed between p − - type channel layer is 13 and gate electrode 16 . for example , gate oxide film 15 is 170 å in thickness . field oxide film 17 is formed in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 such that field oxide film 17 spaces apart depletion - type nmosfet 21 and enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from each other . field oxide film 18 isolates depletion - type nmosfet 21 from the other devices not shown . field oxide film 19 isolates enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from the other devices not shown . output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . now the method for manufacturing a mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment of the invention will be described below . first , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . then , field oxide films 17 , 18 and 19 are formed . in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 , p - type well layers 3 and 4 are formed . then , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 . depletion layer 7 is doped , for example , with phosphorus ( p 31 ). then , gate oxide film 9 of , for example , 170 □ in thickness is formed on n − - type depletion layer 7 . further , gate electrode 10 is deposited on gate oxide film 9 . in p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed . then , gate oxide film 15 of , for example , 170 å in thickness is formed on p − - type channel layer 13 . further , gate electrode 16 is deposited on gate oxide film 15 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any n + - type layer will not be formed . then , n + - type drain layers 5 , 11 and n + - type source layers 6 , 12 are formed by implanting n - type impurity ions over gate electrode 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any p + - type layer will not be formed . then , p + - type pickup layers 8 and 14 are formed by implanting p - type impurity ions over gate electrodes 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . then , output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . in fig2 , depletion - type nmosfet 31 and enhancement - type nmosfet 32 are shown . fig3 is a block circuit diagram describing the configuration of a voltage detecting circuit that uses the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig3 , voltage detecting circuit section 42 in voltage detecting circuit 40 includes comparators 44 connected to respective lithium battery cells 41 , and mos reference voltage circuits 43 which feed reference voltages to respective comparators 44 . mos reference voltage circuit 43 is configured by the semiconductor device shown in fig1 and 2 . if the cell voltage of each lithium battery cell 41 is 4 . 0 v , the high - potential - side voltage of the battery , which includes four lithium battery cells 41 as shown in fig3 , will be 16 v . mos reference voltage circuit 43 according to the first embodiment is connected to the reference - potential - side of each lithium battery cell 41 . therefore , it is effective to divide the voltage difference of 4 . 0 v and to feed the divided voltage difference to the input - potential - side of each comparator 44 . since comparator 44 is disposed for every lithium battery cell 41 in the mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment , the voltage of every lithium battery cell 41 is detectable . when the battery includes four lithium battery cells , the error caused by the resistance for dividing the high - voltage cell potential and for obtaining a low voltage is suppressed to be ¼ the error caused in the conventional voltage detecting circuit including one comparator . therefore , the voltage of every cell in the battery including many battery cells is detected very precisely according to the first embodiment of the invention . in detail , when the battery includes four lithium battery cells 41 , the voltage for over - charge detection is different by the magnitude of several tens mv from maker to maker according to the prior art . further , for trimming the detected charging voltage finely , it is necessary for voltage dividing resistance r 1 ( cf . fig7 ) to be 16 mω to 20 mω . in contrast , for dividing the voltage of each cell according to the invention , it is enough for the voltage dividing resistance to be 4 mω to 5 mω . therefore , the error caused by the voltage dividing resistance according to the invention is ¼ the error caused according to the prior art . as described above , the precision , with which the voltage of the battery including many cells is detected , is improved and the safety of battery charging is improved . according to the first embodiment , the circuit for detecting the voltages of the respective cells included in a battery can be configured on one chip . fig4 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a second embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment is different from the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment in that gate oxide films 51 and 52 thereof are around 300 □ in thickness . generally , the recommended operating voltage per the thickness of a gate oxide film in the mosfet is from 3 . 0 mv / cm to 3 . 3 mv / cm . therefore , the gate oxide film is 300 å in thickness for sustaining the breakdown voltage of around 10 v . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment facilitates detecting a voltage very precisely when it is required for the semiconductor device to exhibit a breakdown voltage of around 10 v . fig5 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is different from the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments in that the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is manufactured using an epitaxial substrate . as shown in fig5 , the epitaxial substrate includes n - type buried layer 71 on p - type substrate 1 , and p - type epitaxial layer 72 laminated on n - type buried layer 71 . epitaxial layer 72 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of p - type epitaxial layer 72 , p - type well layer 73 is formed . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 73 , depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are formed such that depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are spaced apart from each other . by making the potential of p - type epitaxial layer 72 float , the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment obtains the effects similar to the effects which the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments exhibit . as described above , the semiconductor device according to the invention is very useful for a reference voltage circuit . especially , the semiconductor device according to the invention is suitable for a voltage detecting circuit for detecting the voltage of a battery such as a lithium ion battery . this application is based on , and claims priority to , japanese patent application no : 2007 - 238924 , filed on sep . 14 , 2007 . the disclosure of the priority application , in its entirety , including the drawings , claims , and the specification thereof , is incorporated herein by reference . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Electricity'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | 0.25 | c1183272c8501167ddddbad869778c28fe255b33815b84ab7dcc936c07d50dac | 0.419922 | 0.084961 | 0.035645 | 0.035645 | 0.316406 | 0.108398 |
null | fig1 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the invention . fig2 is a circuit diagram showing the circuit configuration of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment . referring now to fig1 , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . the n - type well layer 2 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of n - type well player 2 , p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are formed such that p - type well layer 3 and p - type well layer 4 are spaced apart from each other . depletion - type nmosfet 21 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 3 . enhancement - type nmosfet 22 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well player 4 . in depletion - type nmosfet 21 , n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 such that n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed such that n − - type depletion layer 7 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 5 and n + - type source layer 6 . an impurity such as phosphorus ( p 31 ) is doped in n − - type depletion layer 7 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 , p + - type pickup layer 8 is also formed . gate electrode 10 is formed above n − - type depletion layer 7 with gate oxide film 9 interposed between n − - type depletion layer 7 and gate electrode 10 . for example , gate oxide film 9 is 170 å in thickness . in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 , n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 such that n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 are spaced apart from each other . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed such that p − - type channel layer 13 is in contact with n + - type drain layer 11 and n + - type source layer 12 . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 4 , p + - type pickup layer 14 is also formed . gate electrode 16 is formed above p − - type channel layer 13 with gate oxide film 15 interposed between p − - type channel layer is 13 and gate electrode 16 . for example , gate oxide film 15 is 170 å in thickness . field oxide film 17 is formed in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 such that field oxide film 17 spaces apart depletion - type nmosfet 21 and enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from each other . field oxide film 18 isolates depletion - type nmosfet 21 from the other devices not shown . field oxide film 19 isolates enhancement - type nmosfet 22 from the other devices not shown . output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . now the method for manufacturing a mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment of the invention will be described below . first , n - type well layer 2 is formed in the surface portion of p - type substrate 1 . then , field oxide films 17 , 18 and 19 are formed . in the surface portion of n - type well layer 2 , p - type well layers 3 and 4 are formed . then , n − - type depletion layer 7 is formed in the surface portion of p - type well layer 3 . depletion layer 7 is doped , for example , with phosphorus ( p 31 ). then , gate oxide film 9 of , for example , 170 □ in thickness is formed on n − - type depletion layer 7 . further , gate electrode 10 is deposited on gate oxide film 9 . in p - type well layer 4 , p − - type channel layer 13 is formed . then , gate oxide film 15 of , for example , 170 å in thickness is formed on p − - type channel layer 13 . further , gate electrode 16 is deposited on gate oxide film 15 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any n + - type layer will not be formed . then , n + - type drain layers 5 , 11 and n + - type source layers 6 , 12 are formed by implanting n - type impurity ions over gate electrode 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . shielding masks are formed on the portions of p - type well layers 3 and 4 , in which any p + - type layer will not be formed . then , p + - type pickup layers 8 and 14 are formed by implanting p - type impurity ions over gate electrodes 10 , 16 and field oxide films 17 , 18 , 19 . then , output terminal vref is connected electrically to n + - type source layer 6 and gate electrode 10 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type drain layer 11 and gate electrode 16 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . high - potential - side terminal vh is connected electrically to n + - type drain layer 5 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 . low - potential - side terminal vl is connected electrically to p + - type pickup layer 8 in depletion - type nmosfet 21 and to n + - type source layer 12 and p + - type pickup layer 14 in enhancement - type nmosfet 22 . in fig2 , depletion - type nmosfet 31 and enhancement - type nmosfet 32 are shown . fig3 is a block circuit diagram describing the configuration of a voltage detecting circuit that uses the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig3 , voltage detecting circuit section 42 in voltage detecting circuit 40 includes comparators 44 connected to respective lithium battery cells 41 , and mos reference voltage circuits 43 which feed reference voltages to respective comparators 44 . mos reference voltage circuit 43 is configured by the semiconductor device shown in fig1 and 2 . if the cell voltage of each lithium battery cell 41 is 4 . 0 v , the high - potential - side voltage of the battery , which includes four lithium battery cells 41 as shown in fig3 , will be 16 v . mos reference voltage circuit 43 according to the first embodiment is connected to the reference - potential - side of each lithium battery cell 41 . therefore , it is effective to divide the voltage difference of 4 . 0 v and to feed the divided voltage difference to the input - potential - side of each comparator 44 . since comparator 44 is disposed for every lithium battery cell 41 in the mos reference voltage circuit according to the first embodiment , the voltage of every lithium battery cell 41 is detectable . when the battery includes four lithium battery cells , the error caused by the resistance for dividing the high - voltage cell potential and for obtaining a low voltage is suppressed to be ¼ the error caused in the conventional voltage detecting circuit including one comparator . therefore , the voltage of every cell in the battery including many battery cells is detected very precisely according to the first embodiment of the invention . in detail , when the battery includes four lithium battery cells 41 , the voltage for over - charge detection is different by the magnitude of several tens mv from maker to maker according to the prior art . further , for trimming the detected charging voltage finely , it is necessary for voltage dividing resistance r 1 ( cf . fig7 ) to be 16 mω to 20 mω . in contrast , for dividing the voltage of each cell according to the invention , it is enough for the voltage dividing resistance to be 4 mω to 5 mω . therefore , the error caused by the voltage dividing resistance according to the invention is ¼ the error caused according to the prior art . as described above , the precision , with which the voltage of the battery including many cells is detected , is improved and the safety of battery charging is improved . according to the first embodiment , the circuit for detecting the voltages of the respective cells included in a battery can be configured on one chip . fig4 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a second embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment is different from the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment in that gate oxide films 51 and 52 thereof are around 300 □ in thickness . generally , the recommended operating voltage per the thickness of a gate oxide film in the mosfet is from 3 . 0 mv / cm to 3 . 3 mv / cm . therefore , the gate oxide film is 300 å in thickness for sustaining the breakdown voltage of around 10 v . the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment facilitates detecting a voltage very precisely when it is required for the semiconductor device to exhibit a breakdown voltage of around 10 v . fig5 is a cross sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the invention . the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is different from the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments in that the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment is manufactured using an epitaxial substrate . as shown in fig5 , the epitaxial substrate includes n - type buried layer 71 on p - type substrate 1 , and p - type epitaxial layer 72 laminated on n - type buried layer 71 . epitaxial layer 72 works as a floating layer . in the surface portion of p - type epitaxial layer 72 , p - type well layer 73 is formed . in the surface portion of p - type well layer 73 , depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are formed such that depletion - type nmosfet 101 and enhancement - type nmosfet 102 are spaced apart from each other . by making the potential of p - type epitaxial layer 72 float , the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment obtains the effects similar to the effects which the semiconductor devices according to the first and second embodiments exhibit . as described above , the semiconductor device according to the invention is very useful for a reference voltage circuit . especially , the semiconductor device according to the invention is suitable for a voltage detecting circuit for detecting the voltage of a battery such as a lithium ion battery . this application is based on , and claims priority to , japanese patent application no : 2007 - 238924 , filed on sep . 14 , 2007 . the disclosure of the priority application , in its entirety , including the drawings , claims , and the specification thereof , is incorporated herein by reference . | Is 'Electricity' the correct technical category for the patent? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | c1183272c8501167ddddbad869778c28fe255b33815b84ab7dcc936c07d50dac | 0.230469 | 0.122559 | 0.007355 | 0.048828 | 0.18457 | 0.077148 |
null | as shown in fig1 , provided is a tamper proof outer wrapping 10 for a product package 12 . the outer wrapping 10 includes a reinforced tear zone 14 for opening the outer wrapping 10 . preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 has a tab 50 that is grasped to pull the reinforced tear zone 14 . the reinforced tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining portion of the outer wrapping 10 at the perforation portions 34 . in an embodiment , because the tear zone 14 is reinforced , the tear zone 14 does not break off as it is pulled , thereby providing easy access to the contents of the wrapper 10 . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is a plastic . preferably , the plastic is a shrink wrap . in an embodiment , the shrink wrap is selected from the group consisting of pet - g , pvc , polypropylene , polyethylene , polyolefin , polylactide and combinations thereof . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 may also be formed with paper or metal , such as metalized film , metal foil , or other metallic material . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is clear . in another embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is opaque . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 is colored or scented . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 is used as an outer wrapping for pocket - sized containers that enclose tobacco or non - tobacco products such as cigarettes , pouched tobacco products , pouched non - tobacco products , and the like . in other embodiments , the outer wrapping 10 is used to enclose containers for gums , mints , and other edible products that require tamper resistant features . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 covers the opening device of the inner packaging so that the enclosed product cannot be accessed without first removing the outer wrapping 10 . as seen in fig2 , preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 includes at least two layers 16 , 18 of a wrapping material 19 , and a tear tape 20 affixed between the layers 16 , 18 . also preferably , the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 are sealed around the inner tear tape 20 . in an embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are glued together . in another embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are heat sealed together . in an embodiment , as seen in fig3 , additional layers 22 , 24 of wrapping material 19 may surround the tear tape 20 and the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 . in an embodiment , an equal number of layers of the wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 . as seen in fig6 , in another embodiment , an unequal number of layers of wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 in the reinforced tear zone 14 . in a preferred embodiment , as seen in fig4 , the tear tape 20 is affixed to a first edge 32 of the outer wrapper 10 . a second edge 30 of the outer wrapper 10 is folded over the first edge 32 and the tear tape 20 to create a tube with a reinforced tear zone 14 that can be placed over a product package . in another embodiment , the tear tape 20 is affixed between two separate pieces of wrapping material 19 . positioning the tear tape 20 between multiple layers of the wrapping material strengthens the reinforced tear zone so that the tear zone does not break when pulled to remove the wrapper from around the package or product . as shown in fig5 , in an embodiment , perforated portions 38 , 40 extend longitudinally along the wrapping material 19 , also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 run along each side of and substantially parallel to the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are parallel to one another . also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are each a substantially straight line . in an embodiment , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are created prior to forming the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are formed at a distance from the edge of the wrapping material 19 to leave space for the reinforced tear zone 14 to be formed between the perforated portion 40 and the edge 32 . preferably , when the reinforced tear zone 14 is formed , the edges 30 , 32 can overlap and be sealed together so that the reinforced tear zone 14 lies between the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in a preferred embodiment , at least one angled cut 34 , 36 , as seen in fig4 , is made adjacent to the at least one perforated portion 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 are made at an angle of about 20 ° to about 160 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . more preferably , the cuts are made at an angle of about 40 ° to about 140 °. in a preferred embodiment , the cuts are made at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 angle down from the top 70 of the wrapping material 19 to the perforated portion 38 , 40 . in an embodiment , the cuts are made at the bottom of the wrapping material . the cuts 34 , 36 form a tab 50 , as shown in fig1 and fig5 . preferably , the tab 50 is created adjacent to the reinforced tear tape zone 14 . preferably , the tab 50 is pulled to engage the reinforced tear zone 14 . when the tear zone 14 is pulled by the tab 50 , the tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining wrapper material 19 along the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in addition , the angled cuts 34 , 36 reduce the amount of “ point ” created during the shrinking process when the reinforced tear zone is used on shrink wrap packaging . preferably , as shown in fig1 , the wrapping material 19 has indicia 60 printed thereon . the indicia 60 includes lettering , graphics , and the like . preferably , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the formation of the outer wrapping 10 . in an embodiment , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the addition of the perforated portions 38 , 40 . the indicia 60 can be printed on the front 100 , sides 101 or the back 102 of the wrapping material 19 . also provided is a method of forming a tamper proof outer wrapping having a reinforced tear zone . the method includes obtaining a wrapping material and printing indicia thereon . in an embodiment , at least two perforated portions are formed in the wrapping material near opposing edges . in a preferred embodiment , a tear tape is affixed to a first layer of wrapping material so that the tear tape runs parallel to both the edge of the first layer and a perforated portion . the method also includes sealing a second layer of wrapping material over the first portion having the tear tape affixed thereto to create a reinforced tear zone flanked by each of the perforated portions . in an embodiment , the reinforced tear zone and wrapping material are formed with one piece of wrapping material so that once the reinforced tear zone is formed , the wrapping material is in the form of a tube . in an embodiment , the tube is cut into portions sized to fit the product to be covered , and angled nick cuts are made adjacent to each perforated portion . the product is then inserted into the tube . if the wrapping material is a shrink wrap , then the wrapped product is placed in a heater to shrink the material around the product package . in use , the consumer grabs the tab 50 , shown in fig1 and 5 , and pulls . the tab 50 engages the reinforced tear zone 14 , so that when pulled the reinforced tear zone 14 tears away from the remaining wrapping material 19 at the perforated portions 38 , 40 . while the foregoing has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made , and equivalents thereof employed , without departing from the scope of the claims . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | 2b30ff7a8ee929f871585310ca8aebb03f388fbf6023f37c624584e9fc74d163 | 0.025146 | 0.019775 | 0.0065 | 0.000058 | 0.036133 | 0.007111 |
null | as shown in fig1 , provided is a tamper proof outer wrapping 10 for a product package 12 . the outer wrapping 10 includes a reinforced tear zone 14 for opening the outer wrapping 10 . preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 has a tab 50 that is grasped to pull the reinforced tear zone 14 . the reinforced tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining portion of the outer wrapping 10 at the perforation portions 34 . in an embodiment , because the tear zone 14 is reinforced , the tear zone 14 does not break off as it is pulled , thereby providing easy access to the contents of the wrapper 10 . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is a plastic . preferably , the plastic is a shrink wrap . in an embodiment , the shrink wrap is selected from the group consisting of pet - g , pvc , polypropylene , polyethylene , polyolefin , polylactide and combinations thereof . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 may also be formed with paper or metal , such as metalized film , metal foil , or other metallic material . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is clear . in another embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is opaque . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 is colored or scented . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 is used as an outer wrapping for pocket - sized containers that enclose tobacco or non - tobacco products such as cigarettes , pouched tobacco products , pouched non - tobacco products , and the like . in other embodiments , the outer wrapping 10 is used to enclose containers for gums , mints , and other edible products that require tamper resistant features . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 covers the opening device of the inner packaging so that the enclosed product cannot be accessed without first removing the outer wrapping 10 . as seen in fig2 , preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 includes at least two layers 16 , 18 of a wrapping material 19 , and a tear tape 20 affixed between the layers 16 , 18 . also preferably , the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 are sealed around the inner tear tape 20 . in an embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are glued together . in another embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are heat sealed together . in an embodiment , as seen in fig3 , additional layers 22 , 24 of wrapping material 19 may surround the tear tape 20 and the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 . in an embodiment , an equal number of layers of the wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 . as seen in fig6 , in another embodiment , an unequal number of layers of wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 in the reinforced tear zone 14 . in a preferred embodiment , as seen in fig4 , the tear tape 20 is affixed to a first edge 32 of the outer wrapper 10 . a second edge 30 of the outer wrapper 10 is folded over the first edge 32 and the tear tape 20 to create a tube with a reinforced tear zone 14 that can be placed over a product package . in another embodiment , the tear tape 20 is affixed between two separate pieces of wrapping material 19 . positioning the tear tape 20 between multiple layers of the wrapping material strengthens the reinforced tear zone so that the tear zone does not break when pulled to remove the wrapper from around the package or product . as shown in fig5 , in an embodiment , perforated portions 38 , 40 extend longitudinally along the wrapping material 19 , also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 run along each side of and substantially parallel to the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are parallel to one another . also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are each a substantially straight line . in an embodiment , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are created prior to forming the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are formed at a distance from the edge of the wrapping material 19 to leave space for the reinforced tear zone 14 to be formed between the perforated portion 40 and the edge 32 . preferably , when the reinforced tear zone 14 is formed , the edges 30 , 32 can overlap and be sealed together so that the reinforced tear zone 14 lies between the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in a preferred embodiment , at least one angled cut 34 , 36 , as seen in fig4 , is made adjacent to the at least one perforated portion 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 are made at an angle of about 20 ° to about 160 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . more preferably , the cuts are made at an angle of about 40 ° to about 140 °. in a preferred embodiment , the cuts are made at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 angle down from the top 70 of the wrapping material 19 to the perforated portion 38 , 40 . in an embodiment , the cuts are made at the bottom of the wrapping material . the cuts 34 , 36 form a tab 50 , as shown in fig1 and fig5 . preferably , the tab 50 is created adjacent to the reinforced tear tape zone 14 . preferably , the tab 50 is pulled to engage the reinforced tear zone 14 . when the tear zone 14 is pulled by the tab 50 , the tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining wrapper material 19 along the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in addition , the angled cuts 34 , 36 reduce the amount of “ point ” created during the shrinking process when the reinforced tear zone is used on shrink wrap packaging . preferably , as shown in fig1 , the wrapping material 19 has indicia 60 printed thereon . the indicia 60 includes lettering , graphics , and the like . preferably , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the formation of the outer wrapping 10 . in an embodiment , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the addition of the perforated portions 38 , 40 . the indicia 60 can be printed on the front 100 , sides 101 or the back 102 of the wrapping material 19 . also provided is a method of forming a tamper proof outer wrapping having a reinforced tear zone . the method includes obtaining a wrapping material and printing indicia thereon . in an embodiment , at least two perforated portions are formed in the wrapping material near opposing edges . in a preferred embodiment , a tear tape is affixed to a first layer of wrapping material so that the tear tape runs parallel to both the edge of the first layer and a perforated portion . the method also includes sealing a second layer of wrapping material over the first portion having the tear tape affixed thereto to create a reinforced tear zone flanked by each of the perforated portions . in an embodiment , the reinforced tear zone and wrapping material are formed with one piece of wrapping material so that once the reinforced tear zone is formed , the wrapping material is in the form of a tube . in an embodiment , the tube is cut into portions sized to fit the product to be covered , and angled nick cuts are made adjacent to each perforated portion . the product is then inserted into the tube . if the wrapping material is a shrink wrap , then the wrapped product is placed in a heater to shrink the material around the product package . in use , the consumer grabs the tab 50 , shown in fig1 and 5 , and pulls . the tab 50 engages the reinforced tear zone 14 , so that when pulled the reinforced tear zone 14 tears away from the remaining wrapping material 19 at the perforated portions 38 , 40 . while the foregoing has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made , and equivalents thereof employed , without departing from the scope of the claims . | Should this patent be classified under 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | 2b30ff7a8ee929f871585310ca8aebb03f388fbf6023f37c624584e9fc74d163 | 0.0065 | 0.014526 | 0.002121 | 0.001701 | 0.015442 | 0.004059 |
null | as shown in fig1 , provided is a tamper proof outer wrapping 10 for a product package 12 . the outer wrapping 10 includes a reinforced tear zone 14 for opening the outer wrapping 10 . preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 has a tab 50 that is grasped to pull the reinforced tear zone 14 . the reinforced tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining portion of the outer wrapping 10 at the perforation portions 34 . in an embodiment , because the tear zone 14 is reinforced , the tear zone 14 does not break off as it is pulled , thereby providing easy access to the contents of the wrapper 10 . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is a plastic . preferably , the plastic is a shrink wrap . in an embodiment , the shrink wrap is selected from the group consisting of pet - g , pvc , polypropylene , polyethylene , polyolefin , polylactide and combinations thereof . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 may also be formed with paper or metal , such as metalized film , metal foil , or other metallic material . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is clear . in another embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is opaque . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 is colored or scented . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 is used as an outer wrapping for pocket - sized containers that enclose tobacco or non - tobacco products such as cigarettes , pouched tobacco products , pouched non - tobacco products , and the like . in other embodiments , the outer wrapping 10 is used to enclose containers for gums , mints , and other edible products that require tamper resistant features . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 covers the opening device of the inner packaging so that the enclosed product cannot be accessed without first removing the outer wrapping 10 . as seen in fig2 , preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 includes at least two layers 16 , 18 of a wrapping material 19 , and a tear tape 20 affixed between the layers 16 , 18 . also preferably , the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 are sealed around the inner tear tape 20 . in an embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are glued together . in another embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are heat sealed together . in an embodiment , as seen in fig3 , additional layers 22 , 24 of wrapping material 19 may surround the tear tape 20 and the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 . in an embodiment , an equal number of layers of the wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 . as seen in fig6 , in another embodiment , an unequal number of layers of wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 in the reinforced tear zone 14 . in a preferred embodiment , as seen in fig4 , the tear tape 20 is affixed to a first edge 32 of the outer wrapper 10 . a second edge 30 of the outer wrapper 10 is folded over the first edge 32 and the tear tape 20 to create a tube with a reinforced tear zone 14 that can be placed over a product package . in another embodiment , the tear tape 20 is affixed between two separate pieces of wrapping material 19 . positioning the tear tape 20 between multiple layers of the wrapping material strengthens the reinforced tear zone so that the tear zone does not break when pulled to remove the wrapper from around the package or product . as shown in fig5 , in an embodiment , perforated portions 38 , 40 extend longitudinally along the wrapping material 19 , also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 run along each side of and substantially parallel to the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are parallel to one another . also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are each a substantially straight line . in an embodiment , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are created prior to forming the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are formed at a distance from the edge of the wrapping material 19 to leave space for the reinforced tear zone 14 to be formed between the perforated portion 40 and the edge 32 . preferably , when the reinforced tear zone 14 is formed , the edges 30 , 32 can overlap and be sealed together so that the reinforced tear zone 14 lies between the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in a preferred embodiment , at least one angled cut 34 , 36 , as seen in fig4 , is made adjacent to the at least one perforated portion 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 are made at an angle of about 20 ° to about 160 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . more preferably , the cuts are made at an angle of about 40 ° to about 140 °. in a preferred embodiment , the cuts are made at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 angle down from the top 70 of the wrapping material 19 to the perforated portion 38 , 40 . in an embodiment , the cuts are made at the bottom of the wrapping material . the cuts 34 , 36 form a tab 50 , as shown in fig1 and fig5 . preferably , the tab 50 is created adjacent to the reinforced tear tape zone 14 . preferably , the tab 50 is pulled to engage the reinforced tear zone 14 . when the tear zone 14 is pulled by the tab 50 , the tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining wrapper material 19 along the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in addition , the angled cuts 34 , 36 reduce the amount of “ point ” created during the shrinking process when the reinforced tear zone is used on shrink wrap packaging . preferably , as shown in fig1 , the wrapping material 19 has indicia 60 printed thereon . the indicia 60 includes lettering , graphics , and the like . preferably , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the formation of the outer wrapping 10 . in an embodiment , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the addition of the perforated portions 38 , 40 . the indicia 60 can be printed on the front 100 , sides 101 or the back 102 of the wrapping material 19 . also provided is a method of forming a tamper proof outer wrapping having a reinforced tear zone . the method includes obtaining a wrapping material and printing indicia thereon . in an embodiment , at least two perforated portions are formed in the wrapping material near opposing edges . in a preferred embodiment , a tear tape is affixed to a first layer of wrapping material so that the tear tape runs parallel to both the edge of the first layer and a perforated portion . the method also includes sealing a second layer of wrapping material over the first portion having the tear tape affixed thereto to create a reinforced tear zone flanked by each of the perforated portions . in an embodiment , the reinforced tear zone and wrapping material are formed with one piece of wrapping material so that once the reinforced tear zone is formed , the wrapping material is in the form of a tube . in an embodiment , the tube is cut into portions sized to fit the product to be covered , and angled nick cuts are made adjacent to each perforated portion . the product is then inserted into the tube . if the wrapping material is a shrink wrap , then the wrapped product is placed in a heater to shrink the material around the product package . in use , the consumer grabs the tab 50 , shown in fig1 and 5 , and pulls . the tab 50 engages the reinforced tear zone 14 , so that when pulled the reinforced tear zone 14 tears away from the remaining wrapping material 19 at the perforated portions 38 , 40 . while the foregoing has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made , and equivalents thereof employed , without departing from the scope of the claims . | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Should this patent be classified under 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | 2b30ff7a8ee929f871585310ca8aebb03f388fbf6023f37c624584e9fc74d163 | 0.006683 | 0.008301 | 0.001808 | 0.000002 | 0.013245 | 0.004913 |
null | as shown in fig1 , provided is a tamper proof outer wrapping 10 for a product package 12 . the outer wrapping 10 includes a reinforced tear zone 14 for opening the outer wrapping 10 . preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 has a tab 50 that is grasped to pull the reinforced tear zone 14 . the reinforced tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining portion of the outer wrapping 10 at the perforation portions 34 . in an embodiment , because the tear zone 14 is reinforced , the tear zone 14 does not break off as it is pulled , thereby providing easy access to the contents of the wrapper 10 . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is a plastic . preferably , the plastic is a shrink wrap . in an embodiment , the shrink wrap is selected from the group consisting of pet - g , pvc , polypropylene , polyethylene , polyolefin , polylactide and combinations thereof . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 may also be formed with paper or metal , such as metalized film , metal foil , or other metallic material . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is clear . in another embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is opaque . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 is colored or scented . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 is used as an outer wrapping for pocket - sized containers that enclose tobacco or non - tobacco products such as cigarettes , pouched tobacco products , pouched non - tobacco products , and the like . in other embodiments , the outer wrapping 10 is used to enclose containers for gums , mints , and other edible products that require tamper resistant features . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 covers the opening device of the inner packaging so that the enclosed product cannot be accessed without first removing the outer wrapping 10 . as seen in fig2 , preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 includes at least two layers 16 , 18 of a wrapping material 19 , and a tear tape 20 affixed between the layers 16 , 18 . also preferably , the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 are sealed around the inner tear tape 20 . in an embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are glued together . in another embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are heat sealed together . in an embodiment , as seen in fig3 , additional layers 22 , 24 of wrapping material 19 may surround the tear tape 20 and the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 . in an embodiment , an equal number of layers of the wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 . as seen in fig6 , in another embodiment , an unequal number of layers of wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 in the reinforced tear zone 14 . in a preferred embodiment , as seen in fig4 , the tear tape 20 is affixed to a first edge 32 of the outer wrapper 10 . a second edge 30 of the outer wrapper 10 is folded over the first edge 32 and the tear tape 20 to create a tube with a reinforced tear zone 14 that can be placed over a product package . in another embodiment , the tear tape 20 is affixed between two separate pieces of wrapping material 19 . positioning the tear tape 20 between multiple layers of the wrapping material strengthens the reinforced tear zone so that the tear zone does not break when pulled to remove the wrapper from around the package or product . as shown in fig5 , in an embodiment , perforated portions 38 , 40 extend longitudinally along the wrapping material 19 , also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 run along each side of and substantially parallel to the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are parallel to one another . also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are each a substantially straight line . in an embodiment , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are created prior to forming the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are formed at a distance from the edge of the wrapping material 19 to leave space for the reinforced tear zone 14 to be formed between the perforated portion 40 and the edge 32 . preferably , when the reinforced tear zone 14 is formed , the edges 30 , 32 can overlap and be sealed together so that the reinforced tear zone 14 lies between the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in a preferred embodiment , at least one angled cut 34 , 36 , as seen in fig4 , is made adjacent to the at least one perforated portion 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 are made at an angle of about 20 ° to about 160 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . more preferably , the cuts are made at an angle of about 40 ° to about 140 °. in a preferred embodiment , the cuts are made at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 angle down from the top 70 of the wrapping material 19 to the perforated portion 38 , 40 . in an embodiment , the cuts are made at the bottom of the wrapping material . the cuts 34 , 36 form a tab 50 , as shown in fig1 and fig5 . preferably , the tab 50 is created adjacent to the reinforced tear tape zone 14 . preferably , the tab 50 is pulled to engage the reinforced tear zone 14 . when the tear zone 14 is pulled by the tab 50 , the tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining wrapper material 19 along the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in addition , the angled cuts 34 , 36 reduce the amount of “ point ” created during the shrinking process when the reinforced tear zone is used on shrink wrap packaging . preferably , as shown in fig1 , the wrapping material 19 has indicia 60 printed thereon . the indicia 60 includes lettering , graphics , and the like . preferably , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the formation of the outer wrapping 10 . in an embodiment , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the addition of the perforated portions 38 , 40 . the indicia 60 can be printed on the front 100 , sides 101 or the back 102 of the wrapping material 19 . also provided is a method of forming a tamper proof outer wrapping having a reinforced tear zone . the method includes obtaining a wrapping material and printing indicia thereon . in an embodiment , at least two perforated portions are formed in the wrapping material near opposing edges . in a preferred embodiment , a tear tape is affixed to a first layer of wrapping material so that the tear tape runs parallel to both the edge of the first layer and a perforated portion . the method also includes sealing a second layer of wrapping material over the first portion having the tear tape affixed thereto to create a reinforced tear zone flanked by each of the perforated portions . in an embodiment , the reinforced tear zone and wrapping material are formed with one piece of wrapping material so that once the reinforced tear zone is formed , the wrapping material is in the form of a tube . in an embodiment , the tube is cut into portions sized to fit the product to be covered , and angled nick cuts are made adjacent to each perforated portion . the product is then inserted into the tube . if the wrapping material is a shrink wrap , then the wrapped product is placed in a heater to shrink the material around the product package . in use , the consumer grabs the tab 50 , shown in fig1 and 5 , and pulls . the tab 50 engages the reinforced tear zone 14 , so that when pulled the reinforced tear zone 14 tears away from the remaining wrapping material 19 at the perforated portions 38 , 40 . while the foregoing has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made , and equivalents thereof employed , without departing from the scope of the claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | 2b30ff7a8ee929f871585310ca8aebb03f388fbf6023f37c624584e9fc74d163 | 0.028442 | 0.094238 | 0.003372 | 0.138672 | 0.021973 | 0.108398 |
null | as shown in fig1 , provided is a tamper proof outer wrapping 10 for a product package 12 . the outer wrapping 10 includes a reinforced tear zone 14 for opening the outer wrapping 10 . preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 has a tab 50 that is grasped to pull the reinforced tear zone 14 . the reinforced tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining portion of the outer wrapping 10 at the perforation portions 34 . in an embodiment , because the tear zone 14 is reinforced , the tear zone 14 does not break off as it is pulled , thereby providing easy access to the contents of the wrapper 10 . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is a plastic . preferably , the plastic is a shrink wrap . in an embodiment , the shrink wrap is selected from the group consisting of pet - g , pvc , polypropylene , polyethylene , polyolefin , polylactide and combinations thereof . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 may also be formed with paper or metal , such as metalized film , metal foil , or other metallic material . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is clear . in another embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is opaque . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 is colored or scented . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 is used as an outer wrapping for pocket - sized containers that enclose tobacco or non - tobacco products such as cigarettes , pouched tobacco products , pouched non - tobacco products , and the like . in other embodiments , the outer wrapping 10 is used to enclose containers for gums , mints , and other edible products that require tamper resistant features . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 covers the opening device of the inner packaging so that the enclosed product cannot be accessed without first removing the outer wrapping 10 . as seen in fig2 , preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 includes at least two layers 16 , 18 of a wrapping material 19 , and a tear tape 20 affixed between the layers 16 , 18 . also preferably , the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 are sealed around the inner tear tape 20 . in an embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are glued together . in another embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are heat sealed together . in an embodiment , as seen in fig3 , additional layers 22 , 24 of wrapping material 19 may surround the tear tape 20 and the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 . in an embodiment , an equal number of layers of the wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 . as seen in fig6 , in another embodiment , an unequal number of layers of wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 in the reinforced tear zone 14 . in a preferred embodiment , as seen in fig4 , the tear tape 20 is affixed to a first edge 32 of the outer wrapper 10 . a second edge 30 of the outer wrapper 10 is folded over the first edge 32 and the tear tape 20 to create a tube with a reinforced tear zone 14 that can be placed over a product package . in another embodiment , the tear tape 20 is affixed between two separate pieces of wrapping material 19 . positioning the tear tape 20 between multiple layers of the wrapping material strengthens the reinforced tear zone so that the tear zone does not break when pulled to remove the wrapper from around the package or product . as shown in fig5 , in an embodiment , perforated portions 38 , 40 extend longitudinally along the wrapping material 19 , also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 run along each side of and substantially parallel to the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are parallel to one another . also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are each a substantially straight line . in an embodiment , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are created prior to forming the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are formed at a distance from the edge of the wrapping material 19 to leave space for the reinforced tear zone 14 to be formed between the perforated portion 40 and the edge 32 . preferably , when the reinforced tear zone 14 is formed , the edges 30 , 32 can overlap and be sealed together so that the reinforced tear zone 14 lies between the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in a preferred embodiment , at least one angled cut 34 , 36 , as seen in fig4 , is made adjacent to the at least one perforated portion 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 are made at an angle of about 20 ° to about 160 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . more preferably , the cuts are made at an angle of about 40 ° to about 140 °. in a preferred embodiment , the cuts are made at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 angle down from the top 70 of the wrapping material 19 to the perforated portion 38 , 40 . in an embodiment , the cuts are made at the bottom of the wrapping material . the cuts 34 , 36 form a tab 50 , as shown in fig1 and fig5 . preferably , the tab 50 is created adjacent to the reinforced tear tape zone 14 . preferably , the tab 50 is pulled to engage the reinforced tear zone 14 . when the tear zone 14 is pulled by the tab 50 , the tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining wrapper material 19 along the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in addition , the angled cuts 34 , 36 reduce the amount of “ point ” created during the shrinking process when the reinforced tear zone is used on shrink wrap packaging . preferably , as shown in fig1 , the wrapping material 19 has indicia 60 printed thereon . the indicia 60 includes lettering , graphics , and the like . preferably , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the formation of the outer wrapping 10 . in an embodiment , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the addition of the perforated portions 38 , 40 . the indicia 60 can be printed on the front 100 , sides 101 or the back 102 of the wrapping material 19 . also provided is a method of forming a tamper proof outer wrapping having a reinforced tear zone . the method includes obtaining a wrapping material and printing indicia thereon . in an embodiment , at least two perforated portions are formed in the wrapping material near opposing edges . in a preferred embodiment , a tear tape is affixed to a first layer of wrapping material so that the tear tape runs parallel to both the edge of the first layer and a perforated portion . the method also includes sealing a second layer of wrapping material over the first portion having the tear tape affixed thereto to create a reinforced tear zone flanked by each of the perforated portions . in an embodiment , the reinforced tear zone and wrapping material are formed with one piece of wrapping material so that once the reinforced tear zone is formed , the wrapping material is in the form of a tube . in an embodiment , the tube is cut into portions sized to fit the product to be covered , and angled nick cuts are made adjacent to each perforated portion . the product is then inserted into the tube . if the wrapping material is a shrink wrap , then the wrapped product is placed in a heater to shrink the material around the product package . in use , the consumer grabs the tab 50 , shown in fig1 and 5 , and pulls . the tab 50 engages the reinforced tear zone 14 , so that when pulled the reinforced tear zone 14 tears away from the remaining wrapping material 19 at the perforated portions 38 , 40 . while the foregoing has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made , and equivalents thereof employed , without departing from the scope of the claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 2b30ff7a8ee929f871585310ca8aebb03f388fbf6023f37c624584e9fc74d163 | 0.028442 | 0.004761 | 0.003372 | 0.001205 | 0.021973 | 0.006897 |
null | as shown in fig1 , provided is a tamper proof outer wrapping 10 for a product package 12 . the outer wrapping 10 includes a reinforced tear zone 14 for opening the outer wrapping 10 . preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 has a tab 50 that is grasped to pull the reinforced tear zone 14 . the reinforced tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining portion of the outer wrapping 10 at the perforation portions 34 . in an embodiment , because the tear zone 14 is reinforced , the tear zone 14 does not break off as it is pulled , thereby providing easy access to the contents of the wrapper 10 . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is a plastic . preferably , the plastic is a shrink wrap . in an embodiment , the shrink wrap is selected from the group consisting of pet - g , pvc , polypropylene , polyethylene , polyolefin , polylactide and combinations thereof . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 may also be formed with paper or metal , such as metalized film , metal foil , or other metallic material . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is clear . in another embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is opaque . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 is colored or scented . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 is used as an outer wrapping for pocket - sized containers that enclose tobacco or non - tobacco products such as cigarettes , pouched tobacco products , pouched non - tobacco products , and the like . in other embodiments , the outer wrapping 10 is used to enclose containers for gums , mints , and other edible products that require tamper resistant features . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 covers the opening device of the inner packaging so that the enclosed product cannot be accessed without first removing the outer wrapping 10 . as seen in fig2 , preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 includes at least two layers 16 , 18 of a wrapping material 19 , and a tear tape 20 affixed between the layers 16 , 18 . also preferably , the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 are sealed around the inner tear tape 20 . in an embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are glued together . in another embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are heat sealed together . in an embodiment , as seen in fig3 , additional layers 22 , 24 of wrapping material 19 may surround the tear tape 20 and the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 . in an embodiment , an equal number of layers of the wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 . as seen in fig6 , in another embodiment , an unequal number of layers of wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 in the reinforced tear zone 14 . in a preferred embodiment , as seen in fig4 , the tear tape 20 is affixed to a first edge 32 of the outer wrapper 10 . a second edge 30 of the outer wrapper 10 is folded over the first edge 32 and the tear tape 20 to create a tube with a reinforced tear zone 14 that can be placed over a product package . in another embodiment , the tear tape 20 is affixed between two separate pieces of wrapping material 19 . positioning the tear tape 20 between multiple layers of the wrapping material strengthens the reinforced tear zone so that the tear zone does not break when pulled to remove the wrapper from around the package or product . as shown in fig5 , in an embodiment , perforated portions 38 , 40 extend longitudinally along the wrapping material 19 , also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 run along each side of and substantially parallel to the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are parallel to one another . also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are each a substantially straight line . in an embodiment , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are created prior to forming the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are formed at a distance from the edge of the wrapping material 19 to leave space for the reinforced tear zone 14 to be formed between the perforated portion 40 and the edge 32 . preferably , when the reinforced tear zone 14 is formed , the edges 30 , 32 can overlap and be sealed together so that the reinforced tear zone 14 lies between the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in a preferred embodiment , at least one angled cut 34 , 36 , as seen in fig4 , is made adjacent to the at least one perforated portion 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 are made at an angle of about 20 ° to about 160 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . more preferably , the cuts are made at an angle of about 40 ° to about 140 °. in a preferred embodiment , the cuts are made at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 angle down from the top 70 of the wrapping material 19 to the perforated portion 38 , 40 . in an embodiment , the cuts are made at the bottom of the wrapping material . the cuts 34 , 36 form a tab 50 , as shown in fig1 and fig5 . preferably , the tab 50 is created adjacent to the reinforced tear tape zone 14 . preferably , the tab 50 is pulled to engage the reinforced tear zone 14 . when the tear zone 14 is pulled by the tab 50 , the tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining wrapper material 19 along the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in addition , the angled cuts 34 , 36 reduce the amount of “ point ” created during the shrinking process when the reinforced tear zone is used on shrink wrap packaging . preferably , as shown in fig1 , the wrapping material 19 has indicia 60 printed thereon . the indicia 60 includes lettering , graphics , and the like . preferably , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the formation of the outer wrapping 10 . in an embodiment , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the addition of the perforated portions 38 , 40 . the indicia 60 can be printed on the front 100 , sides 101 or the back 102 of the wrapping material 19 . also provided is a method of forming a tamper proof outer wrapping having a reinforced tear zone . the method includes obtaining a wrapping material and printing indicia thereon . in an embodiment , at least two perforated portions are formed in the wrapping material near opposing edges . in a preferred embodiment , a tear tape is affixed to a first layer of wrapping material so that the tear tape runs parallel to both the edge of the first layer and a perforated portion . the method also includes sealing a second layer of wrapping material over the first portion having the tear tape affixed thereto to create a reinforced tear zone flanked by each of the perforated portions . in an embodiment , the reinforced tear zone and wrapping material are formed with one piece of wrapping material so that once the reinforced tear zone is formed , the wrapping material is in the form of a tube . in an embodiment , the tube is cut into portions sized to fit the product to be covered , and angled nick cuts are made adjacent to each perforated portion . the product is then inserted into the tube . if the wrapping material is a shrink wrap , then the wrapped product is placed in a heater to shrink the material around the product package . in use , the consumer grabs the tab 50 , shown in fig1 and 5 , and pulls . the tab 50 engages the reinforced tear zone 14 , so that when pulled the reinforced tear zone 14 tears away from the remaining wrapping material 19 at the perforated portions 38 , 40 . while the foregoing has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made , and equivalents thereof employed , without departing from the scope of the claims . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | 0.25 | 2b30ff7a8ee929f871585310ca8aebb03f388fbf6023f37c624584e9fc74d163 | 0.028442 | 0.088867 | 0.003372 | 0.044678 | 0.021973 | 0.033203 |
null | as shown in fig1 , provided is a tamper proof outer wrapping 10 for a product package 12 . the outer wrapping 10 includes a reinforced tear zone 14 for opening the outer wrapping 10 . preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 has a tab 50 that is grasped to pull the reinforced tear zone 14 . the reinforced tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining portion of the outer wrapping 10 at the perforation portions 34 . in an embodiment , because the tear zone 14 is reinforced , the tear zone 14 does not break off as it is pulled , thereby providing easy access to the contents of the wrapper 10 . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is a plastic . preferably , the plastic is a shrink wrap . in an embodiment , the shrink wrap is selected from the group consisting of pet - g , pvc , polypropylene , polyethylene , polyolefin , polylactide and combinations thereof . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 may also be formed with paper or metal , such as metalized film , metal foil , or other metallic material . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is clear . in another embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is opaque . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 is colored or scented . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 is used as an outer wrapping for pocket - sized containers that enclose tobacco or non - tobacco products such as cigarettes , pouched tobacco products , pouched non - tobacco products , and the like . in other embodiments , the outer wrapping 10 is used to enclose containers for gums , mints , and other edible products that require tamper resistant features . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 covers the opening device of the inner packaging so that the enclosed product cannot be accessed without first removing the outer wrapping 10 . as seen in fig2 , preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 includes at least two layers 16 , 18 of a wrapping material 19 , and a tear tape 20 affixed between the layers 16 , 18 . also preferably , the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 are sealed around the inner tear tape 20 . in an embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are glued together . in another embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are heat sealed together . in an embodiment , as seen in fig3 , additional layers 22 , 24 of wrapping material 19 may surround the tear tape 20 and the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 . in an embodiment , an equal number of layers of the wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 . as seen in fig6 , in another embodiment , an unequal number of layers of wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 in the reinforced tear zone 14 . in a preferred embodiment , as seen in fig4 , the tear tape 20 is affixed to a first edge 32 of the outer wrapper 10 . a second edge 30 of the outer wrapper 10 is folded over the first edge 32 and the tear tape 20 to create a tube with a reinforced tear zone 14 that can be placed over a product package . in another embodiment , the tear tape 20 is affixed between two separate pieces of wrapping material 19 . positioning the tear tape 20 between multiple layers of the wrapping material strengthens the reinforced tear zone so that the tear zone does not break when pulled to remove the wrapper from around the package or product . as shown in fig5 , in an embodiment , perforated portions 38 , 40 extend longitudinally along the wrapping material 19 , also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 run along each side of and substantially parallel to the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are parallel to one another . also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are each a substantially straight line . in an embodiment , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are created prior to forming the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are formed at a distance from the edge of the wrapping material 19 to leave space for the reinforced tear zone 14 to be formed between the perforated portion 40 and the edge 32 . preferably , when the reinforced tear zone 14 is formed , the edges 30 , 32 can overlap and be sealed together so that the reinforced tear zone 14 lies between the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in a preferred embodiment , at least one angled cut 34 , 36 , as seen in fig4 , is made adjacent to the at least one perforated portion 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 are made at an angle of about 20 ° to about 160 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . more preferably , the cuts are made at an angle of about 40 ° to about 140 °. in a preferred embodiment , the cuts are made at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 angle down from the top 70 of the wrapping material 19 to the perforated portion 38 , 40 . in an embodiment , the cuts are made at the bottom of the wrapping material . the cuts 34 , 36 form a tab 50 , as shown in fig1 and fig5 . preferably , the tab 50 is created adjacent to the reinforced tear tape zone 14 . preferably , the tab 50 is pulled to engage the reinforced tear zone 14 . when the tear zone 14 is pulled by the tab 50 , the tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining wrapper material 19 along the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in addition , the angled cuts 34 , 36 reduce the amount of “ point ” created during the shrinking process when the reinforced tear zone is used on shrink wrap packaging . preferably , as shown in fig1 , the wrapping material 19 has indicia 60 printed thereon . the indicia 60 includes lettering , graphics , and the like . preferably , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the formation of the outer wrapping 10 . in an embodiment , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the addition of the perforated portions 38 , 40 . the indicia 60 can be printed on the front 100 , sides 101 or the back 102 of the wrapping material 19 . also provided is a method of forming a tamper proof outer wrapping having a reinforced tear zone . the method includes obtaining a wrapping material and printing indicia thereon . in an embodiment , at least two perforated portions are formed in the wrapping material near opposing edges . in a preferred embodiment , a tear tape is affixed to a first layer of wrapping material so that the tear tape runs parallel to both the edge of the first layer and a perforated portion . the method also includes sealing a second layer of wrapping material over the first portion having the tear tape affixed thereto to create a reinforced tear zone flanked by each of the perforated portions . in an embodiment , the reinforced tear zone and wrapping material are formed with one piece of wrapping material so that once the reinforced tear zone is formed , the wrapping material is in the form of a tube . in an embodiment , the tube is cut into portions sized to fit the product to be covered , and angled nick cuts are made adjacent to each perforated portion . the product is then inserted into the tube . if the wrapping material is a shrink wrap , then the wrapped product is placed in a heater to shrink the material around the product package . in use , the consumer grabs the tab 50 , shown in fig1 and 5 , and pulls . the tab 50 engages the reinforced tear zone 14 , so that when pulled the reinforced tear zone 14 tears away from the remaining wrapping material 19 at the perforated portions 38 , 40 . while the foregoing has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made , and equivalents thereof employed , without departing from the scope of the claims . | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | 2b30ff7a8ee929f871585310ca8aebb03f388fbf6023f37c624584e9fc74d163 | 0.006683 | 0.000012 | 0.001869 | 0.000005 | 0.013245 | 0.00002 |
null | as shown in fig1 , provided is a tamper proof outer wrapping 10 for a product package 12 . the outer wrapping 10 includes a reinforced tear zone 14 for opening the outer wrapping 10 . preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 has a tab 50 that is grasped to pull the reinforced tear zone 14 . the reinforced tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining portion of the outer wrapping 10 at the perforation portions 34 . in an embodiment , because the tear zone 14 is reinforced , the tear zone 14 does not break off as it is pulled , thereby providing easy access to the contents of the wrapper 10 . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is a plastic . preferably , the plastic is a shrink wrap . in an embodiment , the shrink wrap is selected from the group consisting of pet - g , pvc , polypropylene , polyethylene , polyolefin , polylactide and combinations thereof . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 may also be formed with paper or metal , such as metalized film , metal foil , or other metallic material . in a preferred embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is clear . in another embodiment , the wrapping material 19 is opaque . in other embodiments , the wrapping material 19 is colored or scented . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 is used as an outer wrapping for pocket - sized containers that enclose tobacco or non - tobacco products such as cigarettes , pouched tobacco products , pouched non - tobacco products , and the like . in other embodiments , the outer wrapping 10 is used to enclose containers for gums , mints , and other edible products that require tamper resistant features . preferably , the outer wrapping 10 covers the opening device of the inner packaging so that the enclosed product cannot be accessed without first removing the outer wrapping 10 . as seen in fig2 , preferably , the reinforced tear zone 14 includes at least two layers 16 , 18 of a wrapping material 19 , and a tear tape 20 affixed between the layers 16 , 18 . also preferably , the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 are sealed around the inner tear tape 20 . in an embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are glued together . in another embodiment , the layers 16 , 18 are heat sealed together . in an embodiment , as seen in fig3 , additional layers 22 , 24 of wrapping material 19 may surround the tear tape 20 and the layers 16 , 18 of wrapping material 19 . in an embodiment , an equal number of layers of the wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 . as seen in fig6 , in another embodiment , an unequal number of layers of wrapping material 19 surround the tear tape 20 in the reinforced tear zone 14 . in a preferred embodiment , as seen in fig4 , the tear tape 20 is affixed to a first edge 32 of the outer wrapper 10 . a second edge 30 of the outer wrapper 10 is folded over the first edge 32 and the tear tape 20 to create a tube with a reinforced tear zone 14 that can be placed over a product package . in another embodiment , the tear tape 20 is affixed between two separate pieces of wrapping material 19 . positioning the tear tape 20 between multiple layers of the wrapping material strengthens the reinforced tear zone so that the tear zone does not break when pulled to remove the wrapper from around the package or product . as shown in fig5 , in an embodiment , perforated portions 38 , 40 extend longitudinally along the wrapping material 19 , also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 run along each side of and substantially parallel to the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are parallel to one another . also preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are each a substantially straight line . in an embodiment , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are created prior to forming the reinforced tear zone 14 . preferably , the perforated portions 38 , 40 are formed at a distance from the edge of the wrapping material 19 to leave space for the reinforced tear zone 14 to be formed between the perforated portion 40 and the edge 32 . preferably , when the reinforced tear zone 14 is formed , the edges 30 , 32 can overlap and be sealed together so that the reinforced tear zone 14 lies between the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in a preferred embodiment , at least one angled cut 34 , 36 , as seen in fig4 , is made adjacent to the at least one perforated portion 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 are made at an angle of about 20 ° to about 160 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . more preferably , the cuts are made at an angle of about 40 ° to about 140 °. in a preferred embodiment , the cuts are made at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the perforated portions 38 , 40 . preferably , the cuts 34 , 36 angle down from the top 70 of the wrapping material 19 to the perforated portion 38 , 40 . in an embodiment , the cuts are made at the bottom of the wrapping material . the cuts 34 , 36 form a tab 50 , as shown in fig1 and fig5 . preferably , the tab 50 is created adjacent to the reinforced tear tape zone 14 . preferably , the tab 50 is pulled to engage the reinforced tear zone 14 . when the tear zone 14 is pulled by the tab 50 , the tear zone 14 pulls away from the remaining wrapper material 19 along the perforated portions 38 , 40 . in addition , the angled cuts 34 , 36 reduce the amount of “ point ” created during the shrinking process when the reinforced tear zone is used on shrink wrap packaging . preferably , as shown in fig1 , the wrapping material 19 has indicia 60 printed thereon . the indicia 60 includes lettering , graphics , and the like . preferably , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the formation of the outer wrapping 10 . in an embodiment , the indicia 60 is printed on the wrapping material 19 prior to the addition of the perforated portions 38 , 40 . the indicia 60 can be printed on the front 100 , sides 101 or the back 102 of the wrapping material 19 . also provided is a method of forming a tamper proof outer wrapping having a reinforced tear zone . the method includes obtaining a wrapping material and printing indicia thereon . in an embodiment , at least two perforated portions are formed in the wrapping material near opposing edges . in a preferred embodiment , a tear tape is affixed to a first layer of wrapping material so that the tear tape runs parallel to both the edge of the first layer and a perforated portion . the method also includes sealing a second layer of wrapping material over the first portion having the tear tape affixed thereto to create a reinforced tear zone flanked by each of the perforated portions . in an embodiment , the reinforced tear zone and wrapping material are formed with one piece of wrapping material so that once the reinforced tear zone is formed , the wrapping material is in the form of a tube . in an embodiment , the tube is cut into portions sized to fit the product to be covered , and angled nick cuts are made adjacent to each perforated portion . the product is then inserted into the tube . if the wrapping material is a shrink wrap , then the wrapped product is placed in a heater to shrink the material around the product package . in use , the consumer grabs the tab 50 , shown in fig1 and 5 , and pulls . the tab 50 engages the reinforced tear zone 14 , so that when pulled the reinforced tear zone 14 tears away from the remaining wrapping material 19 at the perforated portions 38 , 40 . while the foregoing has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made , and equivalents thereof employed , without departing from the scope of the claims . | 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 | 2b30ff7a8ee929f871585310ca8aebb03f388fbf6023f37c624584e9fc74d163 | 0.028442 | 0.188477 | 0.003372 | 0.015442 | 0.021973 | 0.075684 |
null | [ 0020 ] fig1 is a side view of a bicycle that incorporates a particular embodiment of a braking apparatus according to the present invention . in this embodiment , the bicycle is a touring bicycle comprising a frame 1 with a double - loop frame body 2 and a front fork 3 , a handle assembly 4 for steering , a drive unit 5 for transmitting the rotation of pedals 5 a to a rear wheel 7 , a front wheel 6 , and a brake system 8 for braking the front and rear wheels 6 and 7 . the handle assembly 4 comprises a handle stem 10 fixedly mounted in the upper portion of the front fork 3 and a handlebar 11 fixedly mounted on the handle stem 10 . the handle assembly 4 , drive unit 5 , front wheel 6 , rear wheel 7 , and brake system 8 are mounted together with a saddle 9 and other components on the frame 1 . as shown in fig2 the brake system 8 comprises front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , braking devices 13 f and 13 r actuated by the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r connected between the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r and the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and a cable connector 15 for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r in a manner described below . the brake cables 14 f and 14 r comprise inner cables 16 f and 16 r connected at both ends to the brake levers 12 f and 12 r and to the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and outer casings 17 f and 17 r for covering the inner cables 16 f and 16 r . the outer casings 17 f and 17 r are divided by the cable connector 15 into the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra extending from cable connector 15 toward the brake levers 12 f and 12 r , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb extending from cable connector 15 toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . the front brake lever 12 f is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 a attached to the left end of the handlebar 11 , and the rear brake lever 12 r is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 b attached to the right end of the handlebar 11 . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r are mirror images of each other . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r each comprise a lever bracket 20 mounted on the handlebar 11 , a lever member 21 pivotably supported by the lever bracket 20 , and an outer retainer 22 fixedly screwed into the lever bracket 20 . each lever bracket 20 comprises a rocking shaft 20 a for pivotably supporting the lever member 21 , a mounting component 20 b detachably mountable on the handlebar 11 , and an internally threaded component 20 c capable of threadably accepting the outer retainer 22 and receiving the inner cables 16 f and 16 r therethrough . each lever member 21 is biased by a biasing member ( not shown ) in the direction of brake release , and each lever member 21 has an inner retainer 21 a for securing the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . as shown in fig4 , each outer retainer 22 comprises a cable sleeve 23 , a guide 24 , a coil spring 25 , and a cable cover 26 . the guide 24 is a cylindrical member whose tip is provided with an externally threaded portion 24 a for detachable threaded engagement with the internally threaded component 20 c of a conventional lever bracket 20 . such a structure makes it easy to remove and / or repair outer retainer 22 . the cable sleeve 23 is a perforated cup - shaped member capable of securing the tips of the outer casings 17 fa or 17 ra , and it has on the external periphery thereof a spring sleeve 23 a that is folded near the opening . guide 24 is designed to support the cable sleeve 23 on the internal peripheral surface thereof while allowing cable sleeve 23 to move a predetermined distance along the axis of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . the coil spring 25 , disposed in compressed form between the tip of guide 24 and the spring sleeve 23 a of cable sleeve 23 , biases the cable sleeve 23 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of guide 24 . the base end of guide 24 opens to allow the passage of the cable sleeve 23 , and an annular lid member 27 made of metal and capable of accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra therein is fixedly mounted in the opening by press fitting . the cable sleeve 23 is thus retained inside guide 24 against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 . cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the tip of guide 24 ( toward the brake lever ) against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are pulled , and the cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the base end of guide 24 ( toward the lid member 27 ) by the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are released from tension , as shown by the chain line in fig4 . the cable cover 26 , which is a contractible bellows member made of an elastic material , sealingly covers the external peripheral surfaces of the guide 24 and the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra to prevent the entry of water or other contaminants to prevent freezing or corrosion of the components . as shown in fig2 , 3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r are roller - type internal expanding brakes . the braking devices 13 f and 13 r comprise fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r fixedly mounted to the back portions of the bicycle front fork 3 and frame body 2 , play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r for securing the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb and adjusting the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , brake bodies 32 f and 32 r , and brake operating arms 33 f and 33 r that can pivot relative to the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r . the play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r are provided with outer retainers screwed into the fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r , thus allowing the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be adjusted by moving the end positions of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb back and forth in the axial direction . the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r have substantially the same structure , so the rear brake body 32 r alone will be described herein . as shown in fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the rear brake body 32 r comprises a rotary component 40 that rotates integrally with the hub shell of the rear wheel 7 , a brake drum ( braked member ) 41 fixedly mounted on the internal peripheral surface of the rotary component 40 , and brake shoes ( braking members ) 42 capable of coming into contact with and disengaging from the brake drum 41 . the brake shoes 42 are brought into contact with the brake drum 41 for applying a braking force to the rear wheel 7 when a plurality of rollers 44 supported by a roller case 43 are moved radially outward by the rotation of a rotary cam 45 . the rotary cam 45 rotates in conjunction with the brake operating arm 33 r , wherein the inner cable 16 r is secured to the brake operating arm 33 r . thus , pulling the inner cable 16 r by gripping the brake lever 12 r will cause the brake operating arm 33 r to rotate clockwise from the brake release position shown in fig3 ( a ) to the braking position shown in fig3 ( b ). this , in turn , causes the brake shoes 42 to come into contact with the brake drum 41 and apply a braking force to the rear wheel 7 . the gap formed between the brake shoes 42 and the brake drum 41 during brake release constitutes the play of the braking device 13 r . the cable connector 15 is a device for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together so that both the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r may be actuated by operating either one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r . as shown in fig4 - 6 , the cable connector 15 comprises a connection member 45 for connecting the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together , a bracket 46 for housing the connection member 45 , a play confirmation component 47 that allows the play of the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be confirmed visually , and a casing 48 for covering the bracket 46 . the connection member 45 is movably mounted inside the bracket 46 and comprises a first connector 45 a connected by screws 45 c to a second connector 45 b . the front and rear inner cables 16 f and 16 r are connected together by the insertion of the two cables 16 f and 16 r between the two connectors 45 a and 45 b . the connection member 45 is biased by two coil springs 49 in the direction of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . such biasing aids the initial setting of connection member 45 . the bracket 46 comprises a bracket body 46 a formed of metal and press - molded into a substantial u shape , and a bottom plate component 46 b mounted over the open portion of the bracket body 46 a . the central portion of the bracket body 46 a is provided with outer retainers 46 c for securing the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra on the side of the brake levers 12 f and 12 r . the bottom plate component 46 b , which is disposed opposite the central portion , is provided with outer retainers 46 d designed to secure the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb on the side of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . a guide 50 is disposed in contact with the lower surface of the bottom plate component 46 b . guide 50 allows confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r to be supported while allowing movement of confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r in the axial direction . a casing 48 is mounted to cover the bracket 46 and the guide 50 , and a transparent indicator window 52 with the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r is provided to the casing 48 . the upper end of the casing 48 is closed while the lower end is blocked by the guide 50 . the upper end of the casing 48 is provided with through holes 48 f and 48 r for accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra . the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra are sealed with an o - ring 55 ( fig6 ) around the through holes 48 f and 48 r to prevent liquids from penetrating inside . the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r comprise cup - shaped indicators 53 f and 53 r and knob components 54 f and 54 r . the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are sealed with a seal ring 56 mounted inside the indicators 53 f and 53 r . indicators 53 f and 53 r are made readily visible by being colored , for example , red or yellow , and they are fixed by crimping to the tips of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb . guide 50 movably guides the indicators 53 f and 53 r . thus , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the end portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r in relation to the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . when the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are set , the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are in a retracted state , so the cable sleeves 23 are moved by the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra toward the brake lever against the biasing force of the corresponding coil springs 25 . when one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r ( for example , the rear brake lever 12 r ) is operated , the inner cable 16 r is pulled , and the rear braking device 13 r experiences a braking force . the inner cable 16 f , which is connected to the inner cable 16 r by connection member 45 , also is pulled , thus causing the braking device 13 f to experience a braking force as well . however , at this time no tension is applied to the portion of inner cable 16 f between the connection member 45 and the brake lever 12 f , thus causing slack in the inner wire 16 f . when this happens , the cable sleeve 23 is biased and moved by the coil spring 25 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of outer retainer 22 as shown by the chain line in fig . 4 . consequently , the lever member 21 remains taut . to adjust the play of braking devices 13 f and 13 r during manufacture or during routine brake adjustment , the knob components 54 f and 54 r of the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r are grasped , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . at that time , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the bottom portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r on the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r . the play of the rear braking device 13 r should be slightly reduced if the goal is to provide the front braking device 13 f with a slower response than the one possessed by the rear braking device 13 r . in this case , the play should be adjusted using play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r so that the bottom portion 57 f of the indicator 53 f for the front braking device 13 f is aligned with the graduation mark 52 fb shown by the broken line in fig7 and so that the bottom portion 57 r of the indicator for the rear braking device 13 r is aligned with the graduation mark 52 ra shown by the solid line in fig7 . while the above is a description of various embodiments of the present invention , further modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , the size , shape , location or orientation of the various components may be changed as desired . components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other may have intermediate structures disposed between them . the functions of one element may be performed by two , and vice versa . it is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which roller - type internal expanding brakes for exerting a braking force on wheel hubs were used as the braking devices , such brakes may include band or disk brakes for exerting a braking force on hubs , or caliper or cantilever brakes for exerting a braking force on rims . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which coil springs 49 and 25 were mounted on the cable connector 15 and outer retainer 22 , respectively , it is also possible to adopt an arrangement in which a coil spring is provided to either of the components , and the inner cable or the outer casing is biased in the direction in which the inner cable is exposed . fig8 is a partial cross sectional view of another embodiment of a cable connector according to the present invention . the cable connector 65 shown in fig8 is devoid of a coil spring for biasing a connection member 75 . the rest of the structure is the same as in the above embodiment . in this structure , the gap between the brake cables 14 f and 14 r can be reduced in proportion to the absence of springs . a more compact cable connector 65 can therefore be designed . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which separate brackets and casings were used , it is also possible to integrate the casings and brackets together . fig9 is a partial cross sectional view of such an embodiment . in the cable connector 80 shown in fig9 the cylindrical bracket 84 doubles as a casing , and the connection member 85 is mounted while allowed to move in the axial direction . in this case , the entire connection member 85 is biased by a single coil spring 86 . in this embodiment , the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are provided with annular markings 87 . play should be adjusted such that the markings 87 reach a position beyond the bottom portion 84 a of the bracket 84 when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking device during play adjustment . it is also possible to mount a modulator ( brake force adjusting mechanism ) capable of varying the braking force of one of the two front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r during braking . in fig1 , a modulator 95 is mounted inside a hub 94 connected to a front braking device 93 f . the modulator 95 comprises washers 96 with retaining holes nonrotatably secured in the hub 94 , and lugged washers 97 disposed between the washers 96 with retaining holes . the lugged washers 97 are secured in an annular cup 99 that rotates in conjunction with the rotary component 98 of the braking device 93 f , and are caused to rotate in conjunction with the rotary component 98 . the modulator 95 allows the rate at which the braking force increases with the operating force during braking to be reduced in accordance with the contact pressure of the two types of washers 96 and 97 . although the original embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the casing 48 was not fixedly mounted on the frame 1 , it is also possible immovably mount the casing on the frame 1 . furthermore , although the above embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the play confirmation mechanism was provided to the cable connector 15 , it is also possible to provide the gauge to the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r . every feature which is unique from the prior art , alone or in combination with other features , also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant , including the structural and / or functional concepts embodied by such feature ( s ). thus , the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed or the apparent initial focus on a particular structure or feature . | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | 10e8fe0495f94ffdea2cd853c85b9e709f402641ae484b35fcc054c292f20909 | 0.00071 | 0.017456 | 0.000179 | 0.000045 | 0.004913 | 0.013245 |
null | [ 0020 ] fig1 is a side view of a bicycle that incorporates a particular embodiment of a braking apparatus according to the present invention . in this embodiment , the bicycle is a touring bicycle comprising a frame 1 with a double - loop frame body 2 and a front fork 3 , a handle assembly 4 for steering , a drive unit 5 for transmitting the rotation of pedals 5 a to a rear wheel 7 , a front wheel 6 , and a brake system 8 for braking the front and rear wheels 6 and 7 . the handle assembly 4 comprises a handle stem 10 fixedly mounted in the upper portion of the front fork 3 and a handlebar 11 fixedly mounted on the handle stem 10 . the handle assembly 4 , drive unit 5 , front wheel 6 , rear wheel 7 , and brake system 8 are mounted together with a saddle 9 and other components on the frame 1 . as shown in fig2 the brake system 8 comprises front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , braking devices 13 f and 13 r actuated by the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r connected between the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r and the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and a cable connector 15 for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r in a manner described below . the brake cables 14 f and 14 r comprise inner cables 16 f and 16 r connected at both ends to the brake levers 12 f and 12 r and to the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and outer casings 17 f and 17 r for covering the inner cables 16 f and 16 r . the outer casings 17 f and 17 r are divided by the cable connector 15 into the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra extending from cable connector 15 toward the brake levers 12 f and 12 r , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb extending from cable connector 15 toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . the front brake lever 12 f is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 a attached to the left end of the handlebar 11 , and the rear brake lever 12 r is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 b attached to the right end of the handlebar 11 . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r are mirror images of each other . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r each comprise a lever bracket 20 mounted on the handlebar 11 , a lever member 21 pivotably supported by the lever bracket 20 , and an outer retainer 22 fixedly screwed into the lever bracket 20 . each lever bracket 20 comprises a rocking shaft 20 a for pivotably supporting the lever member 21 , a mounting component 20 b detachably mountable on the handlebar 11 , and an internally threaded component 20 c capable of threadably accepting the outer retainer 22 and receiving the inner cables 16 f and 16 r therethrough . each lever member 21 is biased by a biasing member ( not shown ) in the direction of brake release , and each lever member 21 has an inner retainer 21 a for securing the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . as shown in fig4 , each outer retainer 22 comprises a cable sleeve 23 , a guide 24 , a coil spring 25 , and a cable cover 26 . the guide 24 is a cylindrical member whose tip is provided with an externally threaded portion 24 a for detachable threaded engagement with the internally threaded component 20 c of a conventional lever bracket 20 . such a structure makes it easy to remove and / or repair outer retainer 22 . the cable sleeve 23 is a perforated cup - shaped member capable of securing the tips of the outer casings 17 fa or 17 ra , and it has on the external periphery thereof a spring sleeve 23 a that is folded near the opening . guide 24 is designed to support the cable sleeve 23 on the internal peripheral surface thereof while allowing cable sleeve 23 to move a predetermined distance along the axis of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . the coil spring 25 , disposed in compressed form between the tip of guide 24 and the spring sleeve 23 a of cable sleeve 23 , biases the cable sleeve 23 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of guide 24 . the base end of guide 24 opens to allow the passage of the cable sleeve 23 , and an annular lid member 27 made of metal and capable of accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra therein is fixedly mounted in the opening by press fitting . the cable sleeve 23 is thus retained inside guide 24 against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 . cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the tip of guide 24 ( toward the brake lever ) against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are pulled , and the cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the base end of guide 24 ( toward the lid member 27 ) by the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are released from tension , as shown by the chain line in fig4 . the cable cover 26 , which is a contractible bellows member made of an elastic material , sealingly covers the external peripheral surfaces of the guide 24 and the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra to prevent the entry of water or other contaminants to prevent freezing or corrosion of the components . as shown in fig2 , 3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r are roller - type internal expanding brakes . the braking devices 13 f and 13 r comprise fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r fixedly mounted to the back portions of the bicycle front fork 3 and frame body 2 , play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r for securing the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb and adjusting the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , brake bodies 32 f and 32 r , and brake operating arms 33 f and 33 r that can pivot relative to the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r . the play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r are provided with outer retainers screwed into the fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r , thus allowing the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be adjusted by moving the end positions of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb back and forth in the axial direction . the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r have substantially the same structure , so the rear brake body 32 r alone will be described herein . as shown in fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the rear brake body 32 r comprises a rotary component 40 that rotates integrally with the hub shell of the rear wheel 7 , a brake drum ( braked member ) 41 fixedly mounted on the internal peripheral surface of the rotary component 40 , and brake shoes ( braking members ) 42 capable of coming into contact with and disengaging from the brake drum 41 . the brake shoes 42 are brought into contact with the brake drum 41 for applying a braking force to the rear wheel 7 when a plurality of rollers 44 supported by a roller case 43 are moved radially outward by the rotation of a rotary cam 45 . the rotary cam 45 rotates in conjunction with the brake operating arm 33 r , wherein the inner cable 16 r is secured to the brake operating arm 33 r . thus , pulling the inner cable 16 r by gripping the brake lever 12 r will cause the brake operating arm 33 r to rotate clockwise from the brake release position shown in fig3 ( a ) to the braking position shown in fig3 ( b ). this , in turn , causes the brake shoes 42 to come into contact with the brake drum 41 and apply a braking force to the rear wheel 7 . the gap formed between the brake shoes 42 and the brake drum 41 during brake release constitutes the play of the braking device 13 r . the cable connector 15 is a device for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together so that both the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r may be actuated by operating either one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r . as shown in fig4 - 6 , the cable connector 15 comprises a connection member 45 for connecting the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together , a bracket 46 for housing the connection member 45 , a play confirmation component 47 that allows the play of the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be confirmed visually , and a casing 48 for covering the bracket 46 . the connection member 45 is movably mounted inside the bracket 46 and comprises a first connector 45 a connected by screws 45 c to a second connector 45 b . the front and rear inner cables 16 f and 16 r are connected together by the insertion of the two cables 16 f and 16 r between the two connectors 45 a and 45 b . the connection member 45 is biased by two coil springs 49 in the direction of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . such biasing aids the initial setting of connection member 45 . the bracket 46 comprises a bracket body 46 a formed of metal and press - molded into a substantial u shape , and a bottom plate component 46 b mounted over the open portion of the bracket body 46 a . the central portion of the bracket body 46 a is provided with outer retainers 46 c for securing the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra on the side of the brake levers 12 f and 12 r . the bottom plate component 46 b , which is disposed opposite the central portion , is provided with outer retainers 46 d designed to secure the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb on the side of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . a guide 50 is disposed in contact with the lower surface of the bottom plate component 46 b . guide 50 allows confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r to be supported while allowing movement of confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r in the axial direction . a casing 48 is mounted to cover the bracket 46 and the guide 50 , and a transparent indicator window 52 with the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r is provided to the casing 48 . the upper end of the casing 48 is closed while the lower end is blocked by the guide 50 . the upper end of the casing 48 is provided with through holes 48 f and 48 r for accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra . the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra are sealed with an o - ring 55 ( fig6 ) around the through holes 48 f and 48 r to prevent liquids from penetrating inside . the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r comprise cup - shaped indicators 53 f and 53 r and knob components 54 f and 54 r . the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are sealed with a seal ring 56 mounted inside the indicators 53 f and 53 r . indicators 53 f and 53 r are made readily visible by being colored , for example , red or yellow , and they are fixed by crimping to the tips of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb . guide 50 movably guides the indicators 53 f and 53 r . thus , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the end portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r in relation to the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . when the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are set , the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are in a retracted state , so the cable sleeves 23 are moved by the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra toward the brake lever against the biasing force of the corresponding coil springs 25 . when one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r ( for example , the rear brake lever 12 r ) is operated , the inner cable 16 r is pulled , and the rear braking device 13 r experiences a braking force . the inner cable 16 f , which is connected to the inner cable 16 r by connection member 45 , also is pulled , thus causing the braking device 13 f to experience a braking force as well . however , at this time no tension is applied to the portion of inner cable 16 f between the connection member 45 and the brake lever 12 f , thus causing slack in the inner wire 16 f . when this happens , the cable sleeve 23 is biased and moved by the coil spring 25 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of outer retainer 22 as shown by the chain line in fig . 4 . consequently , the lever member 21 remains taut . to adjust the play of braking devices 13 f and 13 r during manufacture or during routine brake adjustment , the knob components 54 f and 54 r of the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r are grasped , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . at that time , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the bottom portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r on the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r . the play of the rear braking device 13 r should be slightly reduced if the goal is to provide the front braking device 13 f with a slower response than the one possessed by the rear braking device 13 r . in this case , the play should be adjusted using play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r so that the bottom portion 57 f of the indicator 53 f for the front braking device 13 f is aligned with the graduation mark 52 fb shown by the broken line in fig7 and so that the bottom portion 57 r of the indicator for the rear braking device 13 r is aligned with the graduation mark 52 ra shown by the solid line in fig7 . while the above is a description of various embodiments of the present invention , further modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , the size , shape , location or orientation of the various components may be changed as desired . components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other may have intermediate structures disposed between them . the functions of one element may be performed by two , and vice versa . it is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which roller - type internal expanding brakes for exerting a braking force on wheel hubs were used as the braking devices , such brakes may include band or disk brakes for exerting a braking force on hubs , or caliper or cantilever brakes for exerting a braking force on rims . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which coil springs 49 and 25 were mounted on the cable connector 15 and outer retainer 22 , respectively , it is also possible to adopt an arrangement in which a coil spring is provided to either of the components , and the inner cable or the outer casing is biased in the direction in which the inner cable is exposed . fig8 is a partial cross sectional view of another embodiment of a cable connector according to the present invention . the cable connector 65 shown in fig8 is devoid of a coil spring for biasing a connection member 75 . the rest of the structure is the same as in the above embodiment . in this structure , the gap between the brake cables 14 f and 14 r can be reduced in proportion to the absence of springs . a more compact cable connector 65 can therefore be designed . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which separate brackets and casings were used , it is also possible to integrate the casings and brackets together . fig9 is a partial cross sectional view of such an embodiment . in the cable connector 80 shown in fig9 the cylindrical bracket 84 doubles as a casing , and the connection member 85 is mounted while allowed to move in the axial direction . in this case , the entire connection member 85 is biased by a single coil spring 86 . in this embodiment , the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are provided with annular markings 87 . play should be adjusted such that the markings 87 reach a position beyond the bottom portion 84 a of the bracket 84 when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking device during play adjustment . it is also possible to mount a modulator ( brake force adjusting mechanism ) capable of varying the braking force of one of the two front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r during braking . in fig1 , a modulator 95 is mounted inside a hub 94 connected to a front braking device 93 f . the modulator 95 comprises washers 96 with retaining holes nonrotatably secured in the hub 94 , and lugged washers 97 disposed between the washers 96 with retaining holes . the lugged washers 97 are secured in an annular cup 99 that rotates in conjunction with the rotary component 98 of the braking device 93 f , and are caused to rotate in conjunction with the rotary component 98 . the modulator 95 allows the rate at which the braking force increases with the operating force during braking to be reduced in accordance with the contact pressure of the two types of washers 96 and 97 . although the original embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the casing 48 was not fixedly mounted on the frame 1 , it is also possible immovably mount the casing on the frame 1 . furthermore , although the above embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the play confirmation mechanism was provided to the cable connector 15 , it is also possible to provide the gauge to the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r . every feature which is unique from the prior art , alone or in combination with other features , also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant , including the structural and / or functional concepts embodied by such feature ( s ). thus , the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed or the apparent initial focus on a particular structure or feature . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | 10e8fe0495f94ffdea2cd853c85b9e709f402641ae484b35fcc054c292f20909 | 0.003372 | 0.023682 | 0.00103 | 0.002182 | 0.041504 | 0.043945 |
null | [ 0020 ] fig1 is a side view of a bicycle that incorporates a particular embodiment of a braking apparatus according to the present invention . in this embodiment , the bicycle is a touring bicycle comprising a frame 1 with a double - loop frame body 2 and a front fork 3 , a handle assembly 4 for steering , a drive unit 5 for transmitting the rotation of pedals 5 a to a rear wheel 7 , a front wheel 6 , and a brake system 8 for braking the front and rear wheels 6 and 7 . the handle assembly 4 comprises a handle stem 10 fixedly mounted in the upper portion of the front fork 3 and a handlebar 11 fixedly mounted on the handle stem 10 . the handle assembly 4 , drive unit 5 , front wheel 6 , rear wheel 7 , and brake system 8 are mounted together with a saddle 9 and other components on the frame 1 . as shown in fig2 the brake system 8 comprises front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , braking devices 13 f and 13 r actuated by the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r connected between the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r and the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and a cable connector 15 for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r in a manner described below . the brake cables 14 f and 14 r comprise inner cables 16 f and 16 r connected at both ends to the brake levers 12 f and 12 r and to the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and outer casings 17 f and 17 r for covering the inner cables 16 f and 16 r . the outer casings 17 f and 17 r are divided by the cable connector 15 into the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra extending from cable connector 15 toward the brake levers 12 f and 12 r , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb extending from cable connector 15 toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . the front brake lever 12 f is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 a attached to the left end of the handlebar 11 , and the rear brake lever 12 r is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 b attached to the right end of the handlebar 11 . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r are mirror images of each other . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r each comprise a lever bracket 20 mounted on the handlebar 11 , a lever member 21 pivotably supported by the lever bracket 20 , and an outer retainer 22 fixedly screwed into the lever bracket 20 . each lever bracket 20 comprises a rocking shaft 20 a for pivotably supporting the lever member 21 , a mounting component 20 b detachably mountable on the handlebar 11 , and an internally threaded component 20 c capable of threadably accepting the outer retainer 22 and receiving the inner cables 16 f and 16 r therethrough . each lever member 21 is biased by a biasing member ( not shown ) in the direction of brake release , and each lever member 21 has an inner retainer 21 a for securing the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . as shown in fig4 , each outer retainer 22 comprises a cable sleeve 23 , a guide 24 , a coil spring 25 , and a cable cover 26 . the guide 24 is a cylindrical member whose tip is provided with an externally threaded portion 24 a for detachable threaded engagement with the internally threaded component 20 c of a conventional lever bracket 20 . such a structure makes it easy to remove and / or repair outer retainer 22 . the cable sleeve 23 is a perforated cup - shaped member capable of securing the tips of the outer casings 17 fa or 17 ra , and it has on the external periphery thereof a spring sleeve 23 a that is folded near the opening . guide 24 is designed to support the cable sleeve 23 on the internal peripheral surface thereof while allowing cable sleeve 23 to move a predetermined distance along the axis of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . the coil spring 25 , disposed in compressed form between the tip of guide 24 and the spring sleeve 23 a of cable sleeve 23 , biases the cable sleeve 23 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of guide 24 . the base end of guide 24 opens to allow the passage of the cable sleeve 23 , and an annular lid member 27 made of metal and capable of accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra therein is fixedly mounted in the opening by press fitting . the cable sleeve 23 is thus retained inside guide 24 against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 . cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the tip of guide 24 ( toward the brake lever ) against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are pulled , and the cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the base end of guide 24 ( toward the lid member 27 ) by the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are released from tension , as shown by the chain line in fig4 . the cable cover 26 , which is a contractible bellows member made of an elastic material , sealingly covers the external peripheral surfaces of the guide 24 and the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra to prevent the entry of water or other contaminants to prevent freezing or corrosion of the components . as shown in fig2 , 3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r are roller - type internal expanding brakes . the braking devices 13 f and 13 r comprise fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r fixedly mounted to the back portions of the bicycle front fork 3 and frame body 2 , play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r for securing the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb and adjusting the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , brake bodies 32 f and 32 r , and brake operating arms 33 f and 33 r that can pivot relative to the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r . the play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r are provided with outer retainers screwed into the fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r , thus allowing the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be adjusted by moving the end positions of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb back and forth in the axial direction . the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r have substantially the same structure , so the rear brake body 32 r alone will be described herein . as shown in fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the rear brake body 32 r comprises a rotary component 40 that rotates integrally with the hub shell of the rear wheel 7 , a brake drum ( braked member ) 41 fixedly mounted on the internal peripheral surface of the rotary component 40 , and brake shoes ( braking members ) 42 capable of coming into contact with and disengaging from the brake drum 41 . the brake shoes 42 are brought into contact with the brake drum 41 for applying a braking force to the rear wheel 7 when a plurality of rollers 44 supported by a roller case 43 are moved radially outward by the rotation of a rotary cam 45 . the rotary cam 45 rotates in conjunction with the brake operating arm 33 r , wherein the inner cable 16 r is secured to the brake operating arm 33 r . thus , pulling the inner cable 16 r by gripping the brake lever 12 r will cause the brake operating arm 33 r to rotate clockwise from the brake release position shown in fig3 ( a ) to the braking position shown in fig3 ( b ). this , in turn , causes the brake shoes 42 to come into contact with the brake drum 41 and apply a braking force to the rear wheel 7 . the gap formed between the brake shoes 42 and the brake drum 41 during brake release constitutes the play of the braking device 13 r . the cable connector 15 is a device for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together so that both the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r may be actuated by operating either one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r . as shown in fig4 - 6 , the cable connector 15 comprises a connection member 45 for connecting the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together , a bracket 46 for housing the connection member 45 , a play confirmation component 47 that allows the play of the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be confirmed visually , and a casing 48 for covering the bracket 46 . the connection member 45 is movably mounted inside the bracket 46 and comprises a first connector 45 a connected by screws 45 c to a second connector 45 b . the front and rear inner cables 16 f and 16 r are connected together by the insertion of the two cables 16 f and 16 r between the two connectors 45 a and 45 b . the connection member 45 is biased by two coil springs 49 in the direction of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . such biasing aids the initial setting of connection member 45 . the bracket 46 comprises a bracket body 46 a formed of metal and press - molded into a substantial u shape , and a bottom plate component 46 b mounted over the open portion of the bracket body 46 a . the central portion of the bracket body 46 a is provided with outer retainers 46 c for securing the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra on the side of the brake levers 12 f and 12 r . the bottom plate component 46 b , which is disposed opposite the central portion , is provided with outer retainers 46 d designed to secure the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb on the side of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . a guide 50 is disposed in contact with the lower surface of the bottom plate component 46 b . guide 50 allows confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r to be supported while allowing movement of confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r in the axial direction . a casing 48 is mounted to cover the bracket 46 and the guide 50 , and a transparent indicator window 52 with the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r is provided to the casing 48 . the upper end of the casing 48 is closed while the lower end is blocked by the guide 50 . the upper end of the casing 48 is provided with through holes 48 f and 48 r for accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra . the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra are sealed with an o - ring 55 ( fig6 ) around the through holes 48 f and 48 r to prevent liquids from penetrating inside . the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r comprise cup - shaped indicators 53 f and 53 r and knob components 54 f and 54 r . the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are sealed with a seal ring 56 mounted inside the indicators 53 f and 53 r . indicators 53 f and 53 r are made readily visible by being colored , for example , red or yellow , and they are fixed by crimping to the tips of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb . guide 50 movably guides the indicators 53 f and 53 r . thus , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the end portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r in relation to the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . when the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are set , the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are in a retracted state , so the cable sleeves 23 are moved by the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra toward the brake lever against the biasing force of the corresponding coil springs 25 . when one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r ( for example , the rear brake lever 12 r ) is operated , the inner cable 16 r is pulled , and the rear braking device 13 r experiences a braking force . the inner cable 16 f , which is connected to the inner cable 16 r by connection member 45 , also is pulled , thus causing the braking device 13 f to experience a braking force as well . however , at this time no tension is applied to the portion of inner cable 16 f between the connection member 45 and the brake lever 12 f , thus causing slack in the inner wire 16 f . when this happens , the cable sleeve 23 is biased and moved by the coil spring 25 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of outer retainer 22 as shown by the chain line in fig . 4 . consequently , the lever member 21 remains taut . to adjust the play of braking devices 13 f and 13 r during manufacture or during routine brake adjustment , the knob components 54 f and 54 r of the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r are grasped , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . at that time , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the bottom portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r on the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r . the play of the rear braking device 13 r should be slightly reduced if the goal is to provide the front braking device 13 f with a slower response than the one possessed by the rear braking device 13 r . in this case , the play should be adjusted using play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r so that the bottom portion 57 f of the indicator 53 f for the front braking device 13 f is aligned with the graduation mark 52 fb shown by the broken line in fig7 and so that the bottom portion 57 r of the indicator for the rear braking device 13 r is aligned with the graduation mark 52 ra shown by the solid line in fig7 . while the above is a description of various embodiments of the present invention , further modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , the size , shape , location or orientation of the various components may be changed as desired . components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other may have intermediate structures disposed between them . the functions of one element may be performed by two , and vice versa . it is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which roller - type internal expanding brakes for exerting a braking force on wheel hubs were used as the braking devices , such brakes may include band or disk brakes for exerting a braking force on hubs , or caliper or cantilever brakes for exerting a braking force on rims . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which coil springs 49 and 25 were mounted on the cable connector 15 and outer retainer 22 , respectively , it is also possible to adopt an arrangement in which a coil spring is provided to either of the components , and the inner cable or the outer casing is biased in the direction in which the inner cable is exposed . fig8 is a partial cross sectional view of another embodiment of a cable connector according to the present invention . the cable connector 65 shown in fig8 is devoid of a coil spring for biasing a connection member 75 . the rest of the structure is the same as in the above embodiment . in this structure , the gap between the brake cables 14 f and 14 r can be reduced in proportion to the absence of springs . a more compact cable connector 65 can therefore be designed . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which separate brackets and casings were used , it is also possible to integrate the casings and brackets together . fig9 is a partial cross sectional view of such an embodiment . in the cable connector 80 shown in fig9 the cylindrical bracket 84 doubles as a casing , and the connection member 85 is mounted while allowed to move in the axial direction . in this case , the entire connection member 85 is biased by a single coil spring 86 . in this embodiment , the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are provided with annular markings 87 . play should be adjusted such that the markings 87 reach a position beyond the bottom portion 84 a of the bracket 84 when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking device during play adjustment . it is also possible to mount a modulator ( brake force adjusting mechanism ) capable of varying the braking force of one of the two front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r during braking . in fig1 , a modulator 95 is mounted inside a hub 94 connected to a front braking device 93 f . the modulator 95 comprises washers 96 with retaining holes nonrotatably secured in the hub 94 , and lugged washers 97 disposed between the washers 96 with retaining holes . the lugged washers 97 are secured in an annular cup 99 that rotates in conjunction with the rotary component 98 of the braking device 93 f , and are caused to rotate in conjunction with the rotary component 98 . the modulator 95 allows the rate at which the braking force increases with the operating force during braking to be reduced in accordance with the contact pressure of the two types of washers 96 and 97 . although the original embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the casing 48 was not fixedly mounted on the frame 1 , it is also possible immovably mount the casing on the frame 1 . furthermore , although the above embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the play confirmation mechanism was provided to the cable connector 15 , it is also possible to provide the gauge to the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r . every feature which is unique from the prior art , alone or in combination with other features , also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant , including the structural and / or functional concepts embodied by such feature ( s ). thus , the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed or the apparent initial focus on a particular structure or feature . | 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 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | 10e8fe0495f94ffdea2cd853c85b9e709f402641ae484b35fcc054c292f20909 | 0.002975 | 0.00071 | 0.000645 | 0.000015 | 0.02478 | 0.001068 |
null | [ 0020 ] fig1 is a side view of a bicycle that incorporates a particular embodiment of a braking apparatus according to the present invention . in this embodiment , the bicycle is a touring bicycle comprising a frame 1 with a double - loop frame body 2 and a front fork 3 , a handle assembly 4 for steering , a drive unit 5 for transmitting the rotation of pedals 5 a to a rear wheel 7 , a front wheel 6 , and a brake system 8 for braking the front and rear wheels 6 and 7 . the handle assembly 4 comprises a handle stem 10 fixedly mounted in the upper portion of the front fork 3 and a handlebar 11 fixedly mounted on the handle stem 10 . the handle assembly 4 , drive unit 5 , front wheel 6 , rear wheel 7 , and brake system 8 are mounted together with a saddle 9 and other components on the frame 1 . as shown in fig2 the brake system 8 comprises front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , braking devices 13 f and 13 r actuated by the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r connected between the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r and the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and a cable connector 15 for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r in a manner described below . the brake cables 14 f and 14 r comprise inner cables 16 f and 16 r connected at both ends to the brake levers 12 f and 12 r and to the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and outer casings 17 f and 17 r for covering the inner cables 16 f and 16 r . the outer casings 17 f and 17 r are divided by the cable connector 15 into the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra extending from cable connector 15 toward the brake levers 12 f and 12 r , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb extending from cable connector 15 toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . the front brake lever 12 f is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 a attached to the left end of the handlebar 11 , and the rear brake lever 12 r is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 b attached to the right end of the handlebar 11 . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r are mirror images of each other . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r each comprise a lever bracket 20 mounted on the handlebar 11 , a lever member 21 pivotably supported by the lever bracket 20 , and an outer retainer 22 fixedly screwed into the lever bracket 20 . each lever bracket 20 comprises a rocking shaft 20 a for pivotably supporting the lever member 21 , a mounting component 20 b detachably mountable on the handlebar 11 , and an internally threaded component 20 c capable of threadably accepting the outer retainer 22 and receiving the inner cables 16 f and 16 r therethrough . each lever member 21 is biased by a biasing member ( not shown ) in the direction of brake release , and each lever member 21 has an inner retainer 21 a for securing the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . as shown in fig4 , each outer retainer 22 comprises a cable sleeve 23 , a guide 24 , a coil spring 25 , and a cable cover 26 . the guide 24 is a cylindrical member whose tip is provided with an externally threaded portion 24 a for detachable threaded engagement with the internally threaded component 20 c of a conventional lever bracket 20 . such a structure makes it easy to remove and / or repair outer retainer 22 . the cable sleeve 23 is a perforated cup - shaped member capable of securing the tips of the outer casings 17 fa or 17 ra , and it has on the external periphery thereof a spring sleeve 23 a that is folded near the opening . guide 24 is designed to support the cable sleeve 23 on the internal peripheral surface thereof while allowing cable sleeve 23 to move a predetermined distance along the axis of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . the coil spring 25 , disposed in compressed form between the tip of guide 24 and the spring sleeve 23 a of cable sleeve 23 , biases the cable sleeve 23 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of guide 24 . the base end of guide 24 opens to allow the passage of the cable sleeve 23 , and an annular lid member 27 made of metal and capable of accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra therein is fixedly mounted in the opening by press fitting . the cable sleeve 23 is thus retained inside guide 24 against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 . cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the tip of guide 24 ( toward the brake lever ) against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are pulled , and the cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the base end of guide 24 ( toward the lid member 27 ) by the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are released from tension , as shown by the chain line in fig4 . the cable cover 26 , which is a contractible bellows member made of an elastic material , sealingly covers the external peripheral surfaces of the guide 24 and the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra to prevent the entry of water or other contaminants to prevent freezing or corrosion of the components . as shown in fig2 , 3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r are roller - type internal expanding brakes . the braking devices 13 f and 13 r comprise fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r fixedly mounted to the back portions of the bicycle front fork 3 and frame body 2 , play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r for securing the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb and adjusting the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , brake bodies 32 f and 32 r , and brake operating arms 33 f and 33 r that can pivot relative to the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r . the play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r are provided with outer retainers screwed into the fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r , thus allowing the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be adjusted by moving the end positions of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb back and forth in the axial direction . the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r have substantially the same structure , so the rear brake body 32 r alone will be described herein . as shown in fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the rear brake body 32 r comprises a rotary component 40 that rotates integrally with the hub shell of the rear wheel 7 , a brake drum ( braked member ) 41 fixedly mounted on the internal peripheral surface of the rotary component 40 , and brake shoes ( braking members ) 42 capable of coming into contact with and disengaging from the brake drum 41 . the brake shoes 42 are brought into contact with the brake drum 41 for applying a braking force to the rear wheel 7 when a plurality of rollers 44 supported by a roller case 43 are moved radially outward by the rotation of a rotary cam 45 . the rotary cam 45 rotates in conjunction with the brake operating arm 33 r , wherein the inner cable 16 r is secured to the brake operating arm 33 r . thus , pulling the inner cable 16 r by gripping the brake lever 12 r will cause the brake operating arm 33 r to rotate clockwise from the brake release position shown in fig3 ( a ) to the braking position shown in fig3 ( b ). this , in turn , causes the brake shoes 42 to come into contact with the brake drum 41 and apply a braking force to the rear wheel 7 . the gap formed between the brake shoes 42 and the brake drum 41 during brake release constitutes the play of the braking device 13 r . the cable connector 15 is a device for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together so that both the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r may be actuated by operating either one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r . as shown in fig4 - 6 , the cable connector 15 comprises a connection member 45 for connecting the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together , a bracket 46 for housing the connection member 45 , a play confirmation component 47 that allows the play of the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be confirmed visually , and a casing 48 for covering the bracket 46 . the connection member 45 is movably mounted inside the bracket 46 and comprises a first connector 45 a connected by screws 45 c to a second connector 45 b . the front and rear inner cables 16 f and 16 r are connected together by the insertion of the two cables 16 f and 16 r between the two connectors 45 a and 45 b . the connection member 45 is biased by two coil springs 49 in the direction of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . such biasing aids the initial setting of connection member 45 . the bracket 46 comprises a bracket body 46 a formed of metal and press - molded into a substantial u shape , and a bottom plate component 46 b mounted over the open portion of the bracket body 46 a . the central portion of the bracket body 46 a is provided with outer retainers 46 c for securing the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra on the side of the brake levers 12 f and 12 r . the bottom plate component 46 b , which is disposed opposite the central portion , is provided with outer retainers 46 d designed to secure the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb on the side of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . a guide 50 is disposed in contact with the lower surface of the bottom plate component 46 b . guide 50 allows confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r to be supported while allowing movement of confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r in the axial direction . a casing 48 is mounted to cover the bracket 46 and the guide 50 , and a transparent indicator window 52 with the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r is provided to the casing 48 . the upper end of the casing 48 is closed while the lower end is blocked by the guide 50 . the upper end of the casing 48 is provided with through holes 48 f and 48 r for accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra . the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra are sealed with an o - ring 55 ( fig6 ) around the through holes 48 f and 48 r to prevent liquids from penetrating inside . the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r comprise cup - shaped indicators 53 f and 53 r and knob components 54 f and 54 r . the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are sealed with a seal ring 56 mounted inside the indicators 53 f and 53 r . indicators 53 f and 53 r are made readily visible by being colored , for example , red or yellow , and they are fixed by crimping to the tips of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb . guide 50 movably guides the indicators 53 f and 53 r . thus , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the end portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r in relation to the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . when the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are set , the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are in a retracted state , so the cable sleeves 23 are moved by the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra toward the brake lever against the biasing force of the corresponding coil springs 25 . when one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r ( for example , the rear brake lever 12 r ) is operated , the inner cable 16 r is pulled , and the rear braking device 13 r experiences a braking force . the inner cable 16 f , which is connected to the inner cable 16 r by connection member 45 , also is pulled , thus causing the braking device 13 f to experience a braking force as well . however , at this time no tension is applied to the portion of inner cable 16 f between the connection member 45 and the brake lever 12 f , thus causing slack in the inner wire 16 f . when this happens , the cable sleeve 23 is biased and moved by the coil spring 25 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of outer retainer 22 as shown by the chain line in fig . 4 . consequently , the lever member 21 remains taut . to adjust the play of braking devices 13 f and 13 r during manufacture or during routine brake adjustment , the knob components 54 f and 54 r of the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r are grasped , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . at that time , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the bottom portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r on the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r . the play of the rear braking device 13 r should be slightly reduced if the goal is to provide the front braking device 13 f with a slower response than the one possessed by the rear braking device 13 r . in this case , the play should be adjusted using play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r so that the bottom portion 57 f of the indicator 53 f for the front braking device 13 f is aligned with the graduation mark 52 fb shown by the broken line in fig7 and so that the bottom portion 57 r of the indicator for the rear braking device 13 r is aligned with the graduation mark 52 ra shown by the solid line in fig7 . while the above is a description of various embodiments of the present invention , further modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , the size , shape , location or orientation of the various components may be changed as desired . components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other may have intermediate structures disposed between them . the functions of one element may be performed by two , and vice versa . it is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which roller - type internal expanding brakes for exerting a braking force on wheel hubs were used as the braking devices , such brakes may include band or disk brakes for exerting a braking force on hubs , or caliper or cantilever brakes for exerting a braking force on rims . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which coil springs 49 and 25 were mounted on the cable connector 15 and outer retainer 22 , respectively , it is also possible to adopt an arrangement in which a coil spring is provided to either of the components , and the inner cable or the outer casing is biased in the direction in which the inner cable is exposed . fig8 is a partial cross sectional view of another embodiment of a cable connector according to the present invention . the cable connector 65 shown in fig8 is devoid of a coil spring for biasing a connection member 75 . the rest of the structure is the same as in the above embodiment . in this structure , the gap between the brake cables 14 f and 14 r can be reduced in proportion to the absence of springs . a more compact cable connector 65 can therefore be designed . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which separate brackets and casings were used , it is also possible to integrate the casings and brackets together . fig9 is a partial cross sectional view of such an embodiment . in the cable connector 80 shown in fig9 the cylindrical bracket 84 doubles as a casing , and the connection member 85 is mounted while allowed to move in the axial direction . in this case , the entire connection member 85 is biased by a single coil spring 86 . in this embodiment , the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are provided with annular markings 87 . play should be adjusted such that the markings 87 reach a position beyond the bottom portion 84 a of the bracket 84 when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking device during play adjustment . it is also possible to mount a modulator ( brake force adjusting mechanism ) capable of varying the braking force of one of the two front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r during braking . in fig1 , a modulator 95 is mounted inside a hub 94 connected to a front braking device 93 f . the modulator 95 comprises washers 96 with retaining holes nonrotatably secured in the hub 94 , and lugged washers 97 disposed between the washers 96 with retaining holes . the lugged washers 97 are secured in an annular cup 99 that rotates in conjunction with the rotary component 98 of the braking device 93 f , and are caused to rotate in conjunction with the rotary component 98 . the modulator 95 allows the rate at which the braking force increases with the operating force during braking to be reduced in accordance with the contact pressure of the two types of washers 96 and 97 . although the original embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the casing 48 was not fixedly mounted on the frame 1 , it is also possible immovably mount the casing on the frame 1 . furthermore , although the above embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the play confirmation mechanism was provided to the cable connector 15 , it is also possible to provide the gauge to the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r . every feature which is unique from the prior art , alone or in combination with other features , also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant , including the structural and / or functional concepts embodied by such feature ( s ). thus , the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed or the apparent initial focus on a particular structure or feature . | Is 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | 10e8fe0495f94ffdea2cd853c85b9e709f402641ae484b35fcc054c292f20909 | 0.002975 | 0.003174 | 0.000645 | 0.00001 | 0.02478 | 0.009705 |
null | [ 0020 ] fig1 is a side view of a bicycle that incorporates a particular embodiment of a braking apparatus according to the present invention . in this embodiment , the bicycle is a touring bicycle comprising a frame 1 with a double - loop frame body 2 and a front fork 3 , a handle assembly 4 for steering , a drive unit 5 for transmitting the rotation of pedals 5 a to a rear wheel 7 , a front wheel 6 , and a brake system 8 for braking the front and rear wheels 6 and 7 . the handle assembly 4 comprises a handle stem 10 fixedly mounted in the upper portion of the front fork 3 and a handlebar 11 fixedly mounted on the handle stem 10 . the handle assembly 4 , drive unit 5 , front wheel 6 , rear wheel 7 , and brake system 8 are mounted together with a saddle 9 and other components on the frame 1 . as shown in fig2 the brake system 8 comprises front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , braking devices 13 f and 13 r actuated by the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r connected between the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r and the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and a cable connector 15 for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r in a manner described below . the brake cables 14 f and 14 r comprise inner cables 16 f and 16 r connected at both ends to the brake levers 12 f and 12 r and to the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and outer casings 17 f and 17 r for covering the inner cables 16 f and 16 r . the outer casings 17 f and 17 r are divided by the cable connector 15 into the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra extending from cable connector 15 toward the brake levers 12 f and 12 r , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb extending from cable connector 15 toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . the front brake lever 12 f is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 a attached to the left end of the handlebar 11 , and the rear brake lever 12 r is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 b attached to the right end of the handlebar 11 . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r are mirror images of each other . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r each comprise a lever bracket 20 mounted on the handlebar 11 , a lever member 21 pivotably supported by the lever bracket 20 , and an outer retainer 22 fixedly screwed into the lever bracket 20 . each lever bracket 20 comprises a rocking shaft 20 a for pivotably supporting the lever member 21 , a mounting component 20 b detachably mountable on the handlebar 11 , and an internally threaded component 20 c capable of threadably accepting the outer retainer 22 and receiving the inner cables 16 f and 16 r therethrough . each lever member 21 is biased by a biasing member ( not shown ) in the direction of brake release , and each lever member 21 has an inner retainer 21 a for securing the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . as shown in fig4 , each outer retainer 22 comprises a cable sleeve 23 , a guide 24 , a coil spring 25 , and a cable cover 26 . the guide 24 is a cylindrical member whose tip is provided with an externally threaded portion 24 a for detachable threaded engagement with the internally threaded component 20 c of a conventional lever bracket 20 . such a structure makes it easy to remove and / or repair outer retainer 22 . the cable sleeve 23 is a perforated cup - shaped member capable of securing the tips of the outer casings 17 fa or 17 ra , and it has on the external periphery thereof a spring sleeve 23 a that is folded near the opening . guide 24 is designed to support the cable sleeve 23 on the internal peripheral surface thereof while allowing cable sleeve 23 to move a predetermined distance along the axis of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . the coil spring 25 , disposed in compressed form between the tip of guide 24 and the spring sleeve 23 a of cable sleeve 23 , biases the cable sleeve 23 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of guide 24 . the base end of guide 24 opens to allow the passage of the cable sleeve 23 , and an annular lid member 27 made of metal and capable of accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra therein is fixedly mounted in the opening by press fitting . the cable sleeve 23 is thus retained inside guide 24 against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 . cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the tip of guide 24 ( toward the brake lever ) against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are pulled , and the cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the base end of guide 24 ( toward the lid member 27 ) by the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are released from tension , as shown by the chain line in fig4 . the cable cover 26 , which is a contractible bellows member made of an elastic material , sealingly covers the external peripheral surfaces of the guide 24 and the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra to prevent the entry of water or other contaminants to prevent freezing or corrosion of the components . as shown in fig2 , 3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r are roller - type internal expanding brakes . the braking devices 13 f and 13 r comprise fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r fixedly mounted to the back portions of the bicycle front fork 3 and frame body 2 , play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r for securing the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb and adjusting the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , brake bodies 32 f and 32 r , and brake operating arms 33 f and 33 r that can pivot relative to the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r . the play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r are provided with outer retainers screwed into the fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r , thus allowing the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be adjusted by moving the end positions of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb back and forth in the axial direction . the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r have substantially the same structure , so the rear brake body 32 r alone will be described herein . as shown in fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the rear brake body 32 r comprises a rotary component 40 that rotates integrally with the hub shell of the rear wheel 7 , a brake drum ( braked member ) 41 fixedly mounted on the internal peripheral surface of the rotary component 40 , and brake shoes ( braking members ) 42 capable of coming into contact with and disengaging from the brake drum 41 . the brake shoes 42 are brought into contact with the brake drum 41 for applying a braking force to the rear wheel 7 when a plurality of rollers 44 supported by a roller case 43 are moved radially outward by the rotation of a rotary cam 45 . the rotary cam 45 rotates in conjunction with the brake operating arm 33 r , wherein the inner cable 16 r is secured to the brake operating arm 33 r . thus , pulling the inner cable 16 r by gripping the brake lever 12 r will cause the brake operating arm 33 r to rotate clockwise from the brake release position shown in fig3 ( a ) to the braking position shown in fig3 ( b ). this , in turn , causes the brake shoes 42 to come into contact with the brake drum 41 and apply a braking force to the rear wheel 7 . the gap formed between the brake shoes 42 and the brake drum 41 during brake release constitutes the play of the braking device 13 r . the cable connector 15 is a device for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together so that both the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r may be actuated by operating either one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r . as shown in fig4 - 6 , the cable connector 15 comprises a connection member 45 for connecting the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together , a bracket 46 for housing the connection member 45 , a play confirmation component 47 that allows the play of the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be confirmed visually , and a casing 48 for covering the bracket 46 . the connection member 45 is movably mounted inside the bracket 46 and comprises a first connector 45 a connected by screws 45 c to a second connector 45 b . the front and rear inner cables 16 f and 16 r are connected together by the insertion of the two cables 16 f and 16 r between the two connectors 45 a and 45 b . the connection member 45 is biased by two coil springs 49 in the direction of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . such biasing aids the initial setting of connection member 45 . the bracket 46 comprises a bracket body 46 a formed of metal and press - molded into a substantial u shape , and a bottom plate component 46 b mounted over the open portion of the bracket body 46 a . the central portion of the bracket body 46 a is provided with outer retainers 46 c for securing the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra on the side of the brake levers 12 f and 12 r . the bottom plate component 46 b , which is disposed opposite the central portion , is provided with outer retainers 46 d designed to secure the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb on the side of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . a guide 50 is disposed in contact with the lower surface of the bottom plate component 46 b . guide 50 allows confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r to be supported while allowing movement of confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r in the axial direction . a casing 48 is mounted to cover the bracket 46 and the guide 50 , and a transparent indicator window 52 with the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r is provided to the casing 48 . the upper end of the casing 48 is closed while the lower end is blocked by the guide 50 . the upper end of the casing 48 is provided with through holes 48 f and 48 r for accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra . the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra are sealed with an o - ring 55 ( fig6 ) around the through holes 48 f and 48 r to prevent liquids from penetrating inside . the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r comprise cup - shaped indicators 53 f and 53 r and knob components 54 f and 54 r . the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are sealed with a seal ring 56 mounted inside the indicators 53 f and 53 r . indicators 53 f and 53 r are made readily visible by being colored , for example , red or yellow , and they are fixed by crimping to the tips of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb . guide 50 movably guides the indicators 53 f and 53 r . thus , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the end portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r in relation to the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . when the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are set , the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are in a retracted state , so the cable sleeves 23 are moved by the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra toward the brake lever against the biasing force of the corresponding coil springs 25 . when one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r ( for example , the rear brake lever 12 r ) is operated , the inner cable 16 r is pulled , and the rear braking device 13 r experiences a braking force . the inner cable 16 f , which is connected to the inner cable 16 r by connection member 45 , also is pulled , thus causing the braking device 13 f to experience a braking force as well . however , at this time no tension is applied to the portion of inner cable 16 f between the connection member 45 and the brake lever 12 f , thus causing slack in the inner wire 16 f . when this happens , the cable sleeve 23 is biased and moved by the coil spring 25 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of outer retainer 22 as shown by the chain line in fig . 4 . consequently , the lever member 21 remains taut . to adjust the play of braking devices 13 f and 13 r during manufacture or during routine brake adjustment , the knob components 54 f and 54 r of the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r are grasped , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . at that time , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the bottom portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r on the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r . the play of the rear braking device 13 r should be slightly reduced if the goal is to provide the front braking device 13 f with a slower response than the one possessed by the rear braking device 13 r . in this case , the play should be adjusted using play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r so that the bottom portion 57 f of the indicator 53 f for the front braking device 13 f is aligned with the graduation mark 52 fb shown by the broken line in fig7 and so that the bottom portion 57 r of the indicator for the rear braking device 13 r is aligned with the graduation mark 52 ra shown by the solid line in fig7 . while the above is a description of various embodiments of the present invention , further modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , the size , shape , location or orientation of the various components may be changed as desired . components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other may have intermediate structures disposed between them . the functions of one element may be performed by two , and vice versa . it is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which roller - type internal expanding brakes for exerting a braking force on wheel hubs were used as the braking devices , such brakes may include band or disk brakes for exerting a braking force on hubs , or caliper or cantilever brakes for exerting a braking force on rims . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which coil springs 49 and 25 were mounted on the cable connector 15 and outer retainer 22 , respectively , it is also possible to adopt an arrangement in which a coil spring is provided to either of the components , and the inner cable or the outer casing is biased in the direction in which the inner cable is exposed . fig8 is a partial cross sectional view of another embodiment of a cable connector according to the present invention . the cable connector 65 shown in fig8 is devoid of a coil spring for biasing a connection member 75 . the rest of the structure is the same as in the above embodiment . in this structure , the gap between the brake cables 14 f and 14 r can be reduced in proportion to the absence of springs . a more compact cable connector 65 can therefore be designed . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which separate brackets and casings were used , it is also possible to integrate the casings and brackets together . fig9 is a partial cross sectional view of such an embodiment . in the cable connector 80 shown in fig9 the cylindrical bracket 84 doubles as a casing , and the connection member 85 is mounted while allowed to move in the axial direction . in this case , the entire connection member 85 is biased by a single coil spring 86 . in this embodiment , the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are provided with annular markings 87 . play should be adjusted such that the markings 87 reach a position beyond the bottom portion 84 a of the bracket 84 when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking device during play adjustment . it is also possible to mount a modulator ( brake force adjusting mechanism ) capable of varying the braking force of one of the two front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r during braking . in fig1 , a modulator 95 is mounted inside a hub 94 connected to a front braking device 93 f . the modulator 95 comprises washers 96 with retaining holes nonrotatably secured in the hub 94 , and lugged washers 97 disposed between the washers 96 with retaining holes . the lugged washers 97 are secured in an annular cup 99 that rotates in conjunction with the rotary component 98 of the braking device 93 f , and are caused to rotate in conjunction with the rotary component 98 . the modulator 95 allows the rate at which the braking force increases with the operating force during braking to be reduced in accordance with the contact pressure of the two types of washers 96 and 97 . although the original embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the casing 48 was not fixedly mounted on the frame 1 , it is also possible immovably mount the casing on the frame 1 . furthermore , although the above embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the play confirmation mechanism was provided to the cable connector 15 , it is also possible to provide the gauge to the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r . every feature which is unique from the prior art , alone or in combination with other features , also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant , including the structural and / or functional concepts embodied by such feature ( s ). thus , the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed or the apparent initial focus on a particular structure or feature . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | 10e8fe0495f94ffdea2cd853c85b9e709f402641ae484b35fcc054c292f20909 | 0.003372 | 0.054199 | 0.00103 | 0.094238 | 0.041504 | 0.075684 |
null | [ 0020 ] fig1 is a side view of a bicycle that incorporates a particular embodiment of a braking apparatus according to the present invention . in this embodiment , the bicycle is a touring bicycle comprising a frame 1 with a double - loop frame body 2 and a front fork 3 , a handle assembly 4 for steering , a drive unit 5 for transmitting the rotation of pedals 5 a to a rear wheel 7 , a front wheel 6 , and a brake system 8 for braking the front and rear wheels 6 and 7 . the handle assembly 4 comprises a handle stem 10 fixedly mounted in the upper portion of the front fork 3 and a handlebar 11 fixedly mounted on the handle stem 10 . the handle assembly 4 , drive unit 5 , front wheel 6 , rear wheel 7 , and brake system 8 are mounted together with a saddle 9 and other components on the frame 1 . as shown in fig2 the brake system 8 comprises front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , braking devices 13 f and 13 r actuated by the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r connected between the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r and the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and a cable connector 15 for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r in a manner described below . the brake cables 14 f and 14 r comprise inner cables 16 f and 16 r connected at both ends to the brake levers 12 f and 12 r and to the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and outer casings 17 f and 17 r for covering the inner cables 16 f and 16 r . the outer casings 17 f and 17 r are divided by the cable connector 15 into the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra extending from cable connector 15 toward the brake levers 12 f and 12 r , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb extending from cable connector 15 toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . the front brake lever 12 f is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 a attached to the left end of the handlebar 11 , and the rear brake lever 12 r is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 b attached to the right end of the handlebar 11 . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r are mirror images of each other . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r each comprise a lever bracket 20 mounted on the handlebar 11 , a lever member 21 pivotably supported by the lever bracket 20 , and an outer retainer 22 fixedly screwed into the lever bracket 20 . each lever bracket 20 comprises a rocking shaft 20 a for pivotably supporting the lever member 21 , a mounting component 20 b detachably mountable on the handlebar 11 , and an internally threaded component 20 c capable of threadably accepting the outer retainer 22 and receiving the inner cables 16 f and 16 r therethrough . each lever member 21 is biased by a biasing member ( not shown ) in the direction of brake release , and each lever member 21 has an inner retainer 21 a for securing the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . as shown in fig4 , each outer retainer 22 comprises a cable sleeve 23 , a guide 24 , a coil spring 25 , and a cable cover 26 . the guide 24 is a cylindrical member whose tip is provided with an externally threaded portion 24 a for detachable threaded engagement with the internally threaded component 20 c of a conventional lever bracket 20 . such a structure makes it easy to remove and / or repair outer retainer 22 . the cable sleeve 23 is a perforated cup - shaped member capable of securing the tips of the outer casings 17 fa or 17 ra , and it has on the external periphery thereof a spring sleeve 23 a that is folded near the opening . guide 24 is designed to support the cable sleeve 23 on the internal peripheral surface thereof while allowing cable sleeve 23 to move a predetermined distance along the axis of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . the coil spring 25 , disposed in compressed form between the tip of guide 24 and the spring sleeve 23 a of cable sleeve 23 , biases the cable sleeve 23 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of guide 24 . the base end of guide 24 opens to allow the passage of the cable sleeve 23 , and an annular lid member 27 made of metal and capable of accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra therein is fixedly mounted in the opening by press fitting . the cable sleeve 23 is thus retained inside guide 24 against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 . cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the tip of guide 24 ( toward the brake lever ) against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are pulled , and the cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the base end of guide 24 ( toward the lid member 27 ) by the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are released from tension , as shown by the chain line in fig4 . the cable cover 26 , which is a contractible bellows member made of an elastic material , sealingly covers the external peripheral surfaces of the guide 24 and the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra to prevent the entry of water or other contaminants to prevent freezing or corrosion of the components . as shown in fig2 , 3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r are roller - type internal expanding brakes . the braking devices 13 f and 13 r comprise fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r fixedly mounted to the back portions of the bicycle front fork 3 and frame body 2 , play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r for securing the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb and adjusting the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , brake bodies 32 f and 32 r , and brake operating arms 33 f and 33 r that can pivot relative to the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r . the play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r are provided with outer retainers screwed into the fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r , thus allowing the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be adjusted by moving the end positions of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb back and forth in the axial direction . the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r have substantially the same structure , so the rear brake body 32 r alone will be described herein . as shown in fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the rear brake body 32 r comprises a rotary component 40 that rotates integrally with the hub shell of the rear wheel 7 , a brake drum ( braked member ) 41 fixedly mounted on the internal peripheral surface of the rotary component 40 , and brake shoes ( braking members ) 42 capable of coming into contact with and disengaging from the brake drum 41 . the brake shoes 42 are brought into contact with the brake drum 41 for applying a braking force to the rear wheel 7 when a plurality of rollers 44 supported by a roller case 43 are moved radially outward by the rotation of a rotary cam 45 . the rotary cam 45 rotates in conjunction with the brake operating arm 33 r , wherein the inner cable 16 r is secured to the brake operating arm 33 r . thus , pulling the inner cable 16 r by gripping the brake lever 12 r will cause the brake operating arm 33 r to rotate clockwise from the brake release position shown in fig3 ( a ) to the braking position shown in fig3 ( b ). this , in turn , causes the brake shoes 42 to come into contact with the brake drum 41 and apply a braking force to the rear wheel 7 . the gap formed between the brake shoes 42 and the brake drum 41 during brake release constitutes the play of the braking device 13 r . the cable connector 15 is a device for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together so that both the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r may be actuated by operating either one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r . as shown in fig4 - 6 , the cable connector 15 comprises a connection member 45 for connecting the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together , a bracket 46 for housing the connection member 45 , a play confirmation component 47 that allows the play of the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be confirmed visually , and a casing 48 for covering the bracket 46 . the connection member 45 is movably mounted inside the bracket 46 and comprises a first connector 45 a connected by screws 45 c to a second connector 45 b . the front and rear inner cables 16 f and 16 r are connected together by the insertion of the two cables 16 f and 16 r between the two connectors 45 a and 45 b . the connection member 45 is biased by two coil springs 49 in the direction of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . such biasing aids the initial setting of connection member 45 . the bracket 46 comprises a bracket body 46 a formed of metal and press - molded into a substantial u shape , and a bottom plate component 46 b mounted over the open portion of the bracket body 46 a . the central portion of the bracket body 46 a is provided with outer retainers 46 c for securing the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra on the side of the brake levers 12 f and 12 r . the bottom plate component 46 b , which is disposed opposite the central portion , is provided with outer retainers 46 d designed to secure the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb on the side of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . a guide 50 is disposed in contact with the lower surface of the bottom plate component 46 b . guide 50 allows confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r to be supported while allowing movement of confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r in the axial direction . a casing 48 is mounted to cover the bracket 46 and the guide 50 , and a transparent indicator window 52 with the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r is provided to the casing 48 . the upper end of the casing 48 is closed while the lower end is blocked by the guide 50 . the upper end of the casing 48 is provided with through holes 48 f and 48 r for accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra . the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra are sealed with an o - ring 55 ( fig6 ) around the through holes 48 f and 48 r to prevent liquids from penetrating inside . the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r comprise cup - shaped indicators 53 f and 53 r and knob components 54 f and 54 r . the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are sealed with a seal ring 56 mounted inside the indicators 53 f and 53 r . indicators 53 f and 53 r are made readily visible by being colored , for example , red or yellow , and they are fixed by crimping to the tips of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb . guide 50 movably guides the indicators 53 f and 53 r . thus , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the end portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r in relation to the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . when the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are set , the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are in a retracted state , so the cable sleeves 23 are moved by the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra toward the brake lever against the biasing force of the corresponding coil springs 25 . when one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r ( for example , the rear brake lever 12 r ) is operated , the inner cable 16 r is pulled , and the rear braking device 13 r experiences a braking force . the inner cable 16 f , which is connected to the inner cable 16 r by connection member 45 , also is pulled , thus causing the braking device 13 f to experience a braking force as well . however , at this time no tension is applied to the portion of inner cable 16 f between the connection member 45 and the brake lever 12 f , thus causing slack in the inner wire 16 f . when this happens , the cable sleeve 23 is biased and moved by the coil spring 25 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of outer retainer 22 as shown by the chain line in fig . 4 . consequently , the lever member 21 remains taut . to adjust the play of braking devices 13 f and 13 r during manufacture or during routine brake adjustment , the knob components 54 f and 54 r of the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r are grasped , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . at that time , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the bottom portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r on the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r . the play of the rear braking device 13 r should be slightly reduced if the goal is to provide the front braking device 13 f with a slower response than the one possessed by the rear braking device 13 r . in this case , the play should be adjusted using play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r so that the bottom portion 57 f of the indicator 53 f for the front braking device 13 f is aligned with the graduation mark 52 fb shown by the broken line in fig7 and so that the bottom portion 57 r of the indicator for the rear braking device 13 r is aligned with the graduation mark 52 ra shown by the solid line in fig7 . while the above is a description of various embodiments of the present invention , further modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , the size , shape , location or orientation of the various components may be changed as desired . components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other may have intermediate structures disposed between them . the functions of one element may be performed by two , and vice versa . it is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which roller - type internal expanding brakes for exerting a braking force on wheel hubs were used as the braking devices , such brakes may include band or disk brakes for exerting a braking force on hubs , or caliper or cantilever brakes for exerting a braking force on rims . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which coil springs 49 and 25 were mounted on the cable connector 15 and outer retainer 22 , respectively , it is also possible to adopt an arrangement in which a coil spring is provided to either of the components , and the inner cable or the outer casing is biased in the direction in which the inner cable is exposed . fig8 is a partial cross sectional view of another embodiment of a cable connector according to the present invention . the cable connector 65 shown in fig8 is devoid of a coil spring for biasing a connection member 75 . the rest of the structure is the same as in the above embodiment . in this structure , the gap between the brake cables 14 f and 14 r can be reduced in proportion to the absence of springs . a more compact cable connector 65 can therefore be designed . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which separate brackets and casings were used , it is also possible to integrate the casings and brackets together . fig9 is a partial cross sectional view of such an embodiment . in the cable connector 80 shown in fig9 the cylindrical bracket 84 doubles as a casing , and the connection member 85 is mounted while allowed to move in the axial direction . in this case , the entire connection member 85 is biased by a single coil spring 86 . in this embodiment , the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are provided with annular markings 87 . play should be adjusted such that the markings 87 reach a position beyond the bottom portion 84 a of the bracket 84 when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking device during play adjustment . it is also possible to mount a modulator ( brake force adjusting mechanism ) capable of varying the braking force of one of the two front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r during braking . in fig1 , a modulator 95 is mounted inside a hub 94 connected to a front braking device 93 f . the modulator 95 comprises washers 96 with retaining holes nonrotatably secured in the hub 94 , and lugged washers 97 disposed between the washers 96 with retaining holes . the lugged washers 97 are secured in an annular cup 99 that rotates in conjunction with the rotary component 98 of the braking device 93 f , and are caused to rotate in conjunction with the rotary component 98 . the modulator 95 allows the rate at which the braking force increases with the operating force during braking to be reduced in accordance with the contact pressure of the two types of washers 96 and 97 . although the original embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the casing 48 was not fixedly mounted on the frame 1 , it is also possible immovably mount the casing on the frame 1 . furthermore , although the above embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the play confirmation mechanism was provided to the cable connector 15 , it is also possible to provide the gauge to the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r . every feature which is unique from the prior art , alone or in combination with other features , also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant , including the structural and / or functional concepts embodied by such feature ( s ). thus , the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed or the apparent initial focus on a particular structure or feature . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Physics'? | 0.25 | 10e8fe0495f94ffdea2cd853c85b9e709f402641ae484b35fcc054c292f20909 | 0.003372 | 0.091309 | 0.00103 | 0.005371 | 0.041504 | 0.070801 |
null | [ 0020 ] fig1 is a side view of a bicycle that incorporates a particular embodiment of a braking apparatus according to the present invention . in this embodiment , the bicycle is a touring bicycle comprising a frame 1 with a double - loop frame body 2 and a front fork 3 , a handle assembly 4 for steering , a drive unit 5 for transmitting the rotation of pedals 5 a to a rear wheel 7 , a front wheel 6 , and a brake system 8 for braking the front and rear wheels 6 and 7 . the handle assembly 4 comprises a handle stem 10 fixedly mounted in the upper portion of the front fork 3 and a handlebar 11 fixedly mounted on the handle stem 10 . the handle assembly 4 , drive unit 5 , front wheel 6 , rear wheel 7 , and brake system 8 are mounted together with a saddle 9 and other components on the frame 1 . as shown in fig2 the brake system 8 comprises front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , braking devices 13 f and 13 r actuated by the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r connected between the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r and the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and a cable connector 15 for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r in a manner described below . the brake cables 14 f and 14 r comprise inner cables 16 f and 16 r connected at both ends to the brake levers 12 f and 12 r and to the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and outer casings 17 f and 17 r for covering the inner cables 16 f and 16 r . the outer casings 17 f and 17 r are divided by the cable connector 15 into the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra extending from cable connector 15 toward the brake levers 12 f and 12 r , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb extending from cable connector 15 toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . the front brake lever 12 f is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 a attached to the left end of the handlebar 11 , and the rear brake lever 12 r is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 b attached to the right end of the handlebar 11 . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r are mirror images of each other . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r each comprise a lever bracket 20 mounted on the handlebar 11 , a lever member 21 pivotably supported by the lever bracket 20 , and an outer retainer 22 fixedly screwed into the lever bracket 20 . each lever bracket 20 comprises a rocking shaft 20 a for pivotably supporting the lever member 21 , a mounting component 20 b detachably mountable on the handlebar 11 , and an internally threaded component 20 c capable of threadably accepting the outer retainer 22 and receiving the inner cables 16 f and 16 r therethrough . each lever member 21 is biased by a biasing member ( not shown ) in the direction of brake release , and each lever member 21 has an inner retainer 21 a for securing the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . as shown in fig4 , each outer retainer 22 comprises a cable sleeve 23 , a guide 24 , a coil spring 25 , and a cable cover 26 . the guide 24 is a cylindrical member whose tip is provided with an externally threaded portion 24 a for detachable threaded engagement with the internally threaded component 20 c of a conventional lever bracket 20 . such a structure makes it easy to remove and / or repair outer retainer 22 . the cable sleeve 23 is a perforated cup - shaped member capable of securing the tips of the outer casings 17 fa or 17 ra , and it has on the external periphery thereof a spring sleeve 23 a that is folded near the opening . guide 24 is designed to support the cable sleeve 23 on the internal peripheral surface thereof while allowing cable sleeve 23 to move a predetermined distance along the axis of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . the coil spring 25 , disposed in compressed form between the tip of guide 24 and the spring sleeve 23 a of cable sleeve 23 , biases the cable sleeve 23 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of guide 24 . the base end of guide 24 opens to allow the passage of the cable sleeve 23 , and an annular lid member 27 made of metal and capable of accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra therein is fixedly mounted in the opening by press fitting . the cable sleeve 23 is thus retained inside guide 24 against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 . cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the tip of guide 24 ( toward the brake lever ) against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are pulled , and the cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the base end of guide 24 ( toward the lid member 27 ) by the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are released from tension , as shown by the chain line in fig4 . the cable cover 26 , which is a contractible bellows member made of an elastic material , sealingly covers the external peripheral surfaces of the guide 24 and the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra to prevent the entry of water or other contaminants to prevent freezing or corrosion of the components . as shown in fig2 , 3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r are roller - type internal expanding brakes . the braking devices 13 f and 13 r comprise fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r fixedly mounted to the back portions of the bicycle front fork 3 and frame body 2 , play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r for securing the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb and adjusting the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , brake bodies 32 f and 32 r , and brake operating arms 33 f and 33 r that can pivot relative to the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r . the play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r are provided with outer retainers screwed into the fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r , thus allowing the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be adjusted by moving the end positions of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb back and forth in the axial direction . the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r have substantially the same structure , so the rear brake body 32 r alone will be described herein . as shown in fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the rear brake body 32 r comprises a rotary component 40 that rotates integrally with the hub shell of the rear wheel 7 , a brake drum ( braked member ) 41 fixedly mounted on the internal peripheral surface of the rotary component 40 , and brake shoes ( braking members ) 42 capable of coming into contact with and disengaging from the brake drum 41 . the brake shoes 42 are brought into contact with the brake drum 41 for applying a braking force to the rear wheel 7 when a plurality of rollers 44 supported by a roller case 43 are moved radially outward by the rotation of a rotary cam 45 . the rotary cam 45 rotates in conjunction with the brake operating arm 33 r , wherein the inner cable 16 r is secured to the brake operating arm 33 r . thus , pulling the inner cable 16 r by gripping the brake lever 12 r will cause the brake operating arm 33 r to rotate clockwise from the brake release position shown in fig3 ( a ) to the braking position shown in fig3 ( b ). this , in turn , causes the brake shoes 42 to come into contact with the brake drum 41 and apply a braking force to the rear wheel 7 . the gap formed between the brake shoes 42 and the brake drum 41 during brake release constitutes the play of the braking device 13 r . the cable connector 15 is a device for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together so that both the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r may be actuated by operating either one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r . as shown in fig4 - 6 , the cable connector 15 comprises a connection member 45 for connecting the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together , a bracket 46 for housing the connection member 45 , a play confirmation component 47 that allows the play of the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be confirmed visually , and a casing 48 for covering the bracket 46 . the connection member 45 is movably mounted inside the bracket 46 and comprises a first connector 45 a connected by screws 45 c to a second connector 45 b . the front and rear inner cables 16 f and 16 r are connected together by the insertion of the two cables 16 f and 16 r between the two connectors 45 a and 45 b . the connection member 45 is biased by two coil springs 49 in the direction of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . such biasing aids the initial setting of connection member 45 . the bracket 46 comprises a bracket body 46 a formed of metal and press - molded into a substantial u shape , and a bottom plate component 46 b mounted over the open portion of the bracket body 46 a . the central portion of the bracket body 46 a is provided with outer retainers 46 c for securing the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra on the side of the brake levers 12 f and 12 r . the bottom plate component 46 b , which is disposed opposite the central portion , is provided with outer retainers 46 d designed to secure the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb on the side of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . a guide 50 is disposed in contact with the lower surface of the bottom plate component 46 b . guide 50 allows confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r to be supported while allowing movement of confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r in the axial direction . a casing 48 is mounted to cover the bracket 46 and the guide 50 , and a transparent indicator window 52 with the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r is provided to the casing 48 . the upper end of the casing 48 is closed while the lower end is blocked by the guide 50 . the upper end of the casing 48 is provided with through holes 48 f and 48 r for accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra . the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra are sealed with an o - ring 55 ( fig6 ) around the through holes 48 f and 48 r to prevent liquids from penetrating inside . the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r comprise cup - shaped indicators 53 f and 53 r and knob components 54 f and 54 r . the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are sealed with a seal ring 56 mounted inside the indicators 53 f and 53 r . indicators 53 f and 53 r are made readily visible by being colored , for example , red or yellow , and they are fixed by crimping to the tips of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb . guide 50 movably guides the indicators 53 f and 53 r . thus , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the end portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r in relation to the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . when the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are set , the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are in a retracted state , so the cable sleeves 23 are moved by the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra toward the brake lever against the biasing force of the corresponding coil springs 25 . when one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r ( for example , the rear brake lever 12 r ) is operated , the inner cable 16 r is pulled , and the rear braking device 13 r experiences a braking force . the inner cable 16 f , which is connected to the inner cable 16 r by connection member 45 , also is pulled , thus causing the braking device 13 f to experience a braking force as well . however , at this time no tension is applied to the portion of inner cable 16 f between the connection member 45 and the brake lever 12 f , thus causing slack in the inner wire 16 f . when this happens , the cable sleeve 23 is biased and moved by the coil spring 25 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of outer retainer 22 as shown by the chain line in fig . 4 . consequently , the lever member 21 remains taut . to adjust the play of braking devices 13 f and 13 r during manufacture or during routine brake adjustment , the knob components 54 f and 54 r of the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r are grasped , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . at that time , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the bottom portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r on the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r . the play of the rear braking device 13 r should be slightly reduced if the goal is to provide the front braking device 13 f with a slower response than the one possessed by the rear braking device 13 r . in this case , the play should be adjusted using play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r so that the bottom portion 57 f of the indicator 53 f for the front braking device 13 f is aligned with the graduation mark 52 fb shown by the broken line in fig7 and so that the bottom portion 57 r of the indicator for the rear braking device 13 r is aligned with the graduation mark 52 ra shown by the solid line in fig7 . while the above is a description of various embodiments of the present invention , further modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , the size , shape , location or orientation of the various components may be changed as desired . components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other may have intermediate structures disposed between them . the functions of one element may be performed by two , and vice versa . it is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which roller - type internal expanding brakes for exerting a braking force on wheel hubs were used as the braking devices , such brakes may include band or disk brakes for exerting a braking force on hubs , or caliper or cantilever brakes for exerting a braking force on rims . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which coil springs 49 and 25 were mounted on the cable connector 15 and outer retainer 22 , respectively , it is also possible to adopt an arrangement in which a coil spring is provided to either of the components , and the inner cable or the outer casing is biased in the direction in which the inner cable is exposed . fig8 is a partial cross sectional view of another embodiment of a cable connector according to the present invention . the cable connector 65 shown in fig8 is devoid of a coil spring for biasing a connection member 75 . the rest of the structure is the same as in the above embodiment . in this structure , the gap between the brake cables 14 f and 14 r can be reduced in proportion to the absence of springs . a more compact cable connector 65 can therefore be designed . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which separate brackets and casings were used , it is also possible to integrate the casings and brackets together . fig9 is a partial cross sectional view of such an embodiment . in the cable connector 80 shown in fig9 the cylindrical bracket 84 doubles as a casing , and the connection member 85 is mounted while allowed to move in the axial direction . in this case , the entire connection member 85 is biased by a single coil spring 86 . in this embodiment , the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are provided with annular markings 87 . play should be adjusted such that the markings 87 reach a position beyond the bottom portion 84 a of the bracket 84 when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking device during play adjustment . it is also possible to mount a modulator ( brake force adjusting mechanism ) capable of varying the braking force of one of the two front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r during braking . in fig1 , a modulator 95 is mounted inside a hub 94 connected to a front braking device 93 f . the modulator 95 comprises washers 96 with retaining holes nonrotatably secured in the hub 94 , and lugged washers 97 disposed between the washers 96 with retaining holes . the lugged washers 97 are secured in an annular cup 99 that rotates in conjunction with the rotary component 98 of the braking device 93 f , and are caused to rotate in conjunction with the rotary component 98 . the modulator 95 allows the rate at which the braking force increases with the operating force during braking to be reduced in accordance with the contact pressure of the two types of washers 96 and 97 . although the original embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the casing 48 was not fixedly mounted on the frame 1 , it is also possible immovably mount the casing on the frame 1 . furthermore , although the above embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the play confirmation mechanism was provided to the cable connector 15 , it is also possible to provide the gauge to the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r . every feature which is unique from the prior art , alone or in combination with other features , also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant , including the structural and / or functional concepts embodied by such feature ( s ). thus , the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed or the apparent initial focus on a particular structure or feature . | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | 10e8fe0495f94ffdea2cd853c85b9e709f402641ae484b35fcc054c292f20909 | 0.00071 | 0.007111 | 0.000179 | 0.000103 | 0.004913 | 0.000096 |
null | [ 0020 ] fig1 is a side view of a bicycle that incorporates a particular embodiment of a braking apparatus according to the present invention . in this embodiment , the bicycle is a touring bicycle comprising a frame 1 with a double - loop frame body 2 and a front fork 3 , a handle assembly 4 for steering , a drive unit 5 for transmitting the rotation of pedals 5 a to a rear wheel 7 , a front wheel 6 , and a brake system 8 for braking the front and rear wheels 6 and 7 . the handle assembly 4 comprises a handle stem 10 fixedly mounted in the upper portion of the front fork 3 and a handlebar 11 fixedly mounted on the handle stem 10 . the handle assembly 4 , drive unit 5 , front wheel 6 , rear wheel 7 , and brake system 8 are mounted together with a saddle 9 and other components on the frame 1 . as shown in fig2 the brake system 8 comprises front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , braking devices 13 f and 13 r actuated by the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r connected between the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r and the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and a cable connector 15 for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r in a manner described below . the brake cables 14 f and 14 r comprise inner cables 16 f and 16 r connected at both ends to the brake levers 12 f and 12 r and to the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and outer casings 17 f and 17 r for covering the inner cables 16 f and 16 r . the outer casings 17 f and 17 r are divided by the cable connector 15 into the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra extending from cable connector 15 toward the brake levers 12 f and 12 r , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb extending from cable connector 15 toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . the front brake lever 12 f is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 a attached to the left end of the handlebar 11 , and the rear brake lever 12 r is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 b attached to the right end of the handlebar 11 . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r are mirror images of each other . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r each comprise a lever bracket 20 mounted on the handlebar 11 , a lever member 21 pivotably supported by the lever bracket 20 , and an outer retainer 22 fixedly screwed into the lever bracket 20 . each lever bracket 20 comprises a rocking shaft 20 a for pivotably supporting the lever member 21 , a mounting component 20 b detachably mountable on the handlebar 11 , and an internally threaded component 20 c capable of threadably accepting the outer retainer 22 and receiving the inner cables 16 f and 16 r therethrough . each lever member 21 is biased by a biasing member ( not shown ) in the direction of brake release , and each lever member 21 has an inner retainer 21 a for securing the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . as shown in fig4 , each outer retainer 22 comprises a cable sleeve 23 , a guide 24 , a coil spring 25 , and a cable cover 26 . the guide 24 is a cylindrical member whose tip is provided with an externally threaded portion 24 a for detachable threaded engagement with the internally threaded component 20 c of a conventional lever bracket 20 . such a structure makes it easy to remove and / or repair outer retainer 22 . the cable sleeve 23 is a perforated cup - shaped member capable of securing the tips of the outer casings 17 fa or 17 ra , and it has on the external periphery thereof a spring sleeve 23 a that is folded near the opening . guide 24 is designed to support the cable sleeve 23 on the internal peripheral surface thereof while allowing cable sleeve 23 to move a predetermined distance along the axis of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . the coil spring 25 , disposed in compressed form between the tip of guide 24 and the spring sleeve 23 a of cable sleeve 23 , biases the cable sleeve 23 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of guide 24 . the base end of guide 24 opens to allow the passage of the cable sleeve 23 , and an annular lid member 27 made of metal and capable of accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra therein is fixedly mounted in the opening by press fitting . the cable sleeve 23 is thus retained inside guide 24 against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 . cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the tip of guide 24 ( toward the brake lever ) against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are pulled , and the cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the base end of guide 24 ( toward the lid member 27 ) by the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are released from tension , as shown by the chain line in fig4 . the cable cover 26 , which is a contractible bellows member made of an elastic material , sealingly covers the external peripheral surfaces of the guide 24 and the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra to prevent the entry of water or other contaminants to prevent freezing or corrosion of the components . as shown in fig2 , 3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r are roller - type internal expanding brakes . the braking devices 13 f and 13 r comprise fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r fixedly mounted to the back portions of the bicycle front fork 3 and frame body 2 , play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r for securing the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb and adjusting the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , brake bodies 32 f and 32 r , and brake operating arms 33 f and 33 r that can pivot relative to the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r . the play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r are provided with outer retainers screwed into the fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r , thus allowing the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be adjusted by moving the end positions of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb back and forth in the axial direction . the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r have substantially the same structure , so the rear brake body 32 r alone will be described herein . as shown in fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the rear brake body 32 r comprises a rotary component 40 that rotates integrally with the hub shell of the rear wheel 7 , a brake drum ( braked member ) 41 fixedly mounted on the internal peripheral surface of the rotary component 40 , and brake shoes ( braking members ) 42 capable of coming into contact with and disengaging from the brake drum 41 . the brake shoes 42 are brought into contact with the brake drum 41 for applying a braking force to the rear wheel 7 when a plurality of rollers 44 supported by a roller case 43 are moved radially outward by the rotation of a rotary cam 45 . the rotary cam 45 rotates in conjunction with the brake operating arm 33 r , wherein the inner cable 16 r is secured to the brake operating arm 33 r . thus , pulling the inner cable 16 r by gripping the brake lever 12 r will cause the brake operating arm 33 r to rotate clockwise from the brake release position shown in fig3 ( a ) to the braking position shown in fig3 ( b ). this , in turn , causes the brake shoes 42 to come into contact with the brake drum 41 and apply a braking force to the rear wheel 7 . the gap formed between the brake shoes 42 and the brake drum 41 during brake release constitutes the play of the braking device 13 r . the cable connector 15 is a device for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together so that both the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r may be actuated by operating either one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r . as shown in fig4 - 6 , the cable connector 15 comprises a connection member 45 for connecting the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together , a bracket 46 for housing the connection member 45 , a play confirmation component 47 that allows the play of the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be confirmed visually , and a casing 48 for covering the bracket 46 . the connection member 45 is movably mounted inside the bracket 46 and comprises a first connector 45 a connected by screws 45 c to a second connector 45 b . the front and rear inner cables 16 f and 16 r are connected together by the insertion of the two cables 16 f and 16 r between the two connectors 45 a and 45 b . the connection member 45 is biased by two coil springs 49 in the direction of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . such biasing aids the initial setting of connection member 45 . the bracket 46 comprises a bracket body 46 a formed of metal and press - molded into a substantial u shape , and a bottom plate component 46 b mounted over the open portion of the bracket body 46 a . the central portion of the bracket body 46 a is provided with outer retainers 46 c for securing the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra on the side of the brake levers 12 f and 12 r . the bottom plate component 46 b , which is disposed opposite the central portion , is provided with outer retainers 46 d designed to secure the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb on the side of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . a guide 50 is disposed in contact with the lower surface of the bottom plate component 46 b . guide 50 allows confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r to be supported while allowing movement of confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r in the axial direction . a casing 48 is mounted to cover the bracket 46 and the guide 50 , and a transparent indicator window 52 with the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r is provided to the casing 48 . the upper end of the casing 48 is closed while the lower end is blocked by the guide 50 . the upper end of the casing 48 is provided with through holes 48 f and 48 r for accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra . the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra are sealed with an o - ring 55 ( fig6 ) around the through holes 48 f and 48 r to prevent liquids from penetrating inside . the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r comprise cup - shaped indicators 53 f and 53 r and knob components 54 f and 54 r . the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are sealed with a seal ring 56 mounted inside the indicators 53 f and 53 r . indicators 53 f and 53 r are made readily visible by being colored , for example , red or yellow , and they are fixed by crimping to the tips of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb . guide 50 movably guides the indicators 53 f and 53 r . thus , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the end portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r in relation to the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . when the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are set , the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are in a retracted state , so the cable sleeves 23 are moved by the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra toward the brake lever against the biasing force of the corresponding coil springs 25 . when one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r ( for example , the rear brake lever 12 r ) is operated , the inner cable 16 r is pulled , and the rear braking device 13 r experiences a braking force . the inner cable 16 f , which is connected to the inner cable 16 r by connection member 45 , also is pulled , thus causing the braking device 13 f to experience a braking force as well . however , at this time no tension is applied to the portion of inner cable 16 f between the connection member 45 and the brake lever 12 f , thus causing slack in the inner wire 16 f . when this happens , the cable sleeve 23 is biased and moved by the coil spring 25 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of outer retainer 22 as shown by the chain line in fig . 4 . consequently , the lever member 21 remains taut . to adjust the play of braking devices 13 f and 13 r during manufacture or during routine brake adjustment , the knob components 54 f and 54 r of the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r are grasped , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . at that time , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the bottom portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r on the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r . the play of the rear braking device 13 r should be slightly reduced if the goal is to provide the front braking device 13 f with a slower response than the one possessed by the rear braking device 13 r . in this case , the play should be adjusted using play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r so that the bottom portion 57 f of the indicator 53 f for the front braking device 13 f is aligned with the graduation mark 52 fb shown by the broken line in fig7 and so that the bottom portion 57 r of the indicator for the rear braking device 13 r is aligned with the graduation mark 52 ra shown by the solid line in fig7 . while the above is a description of various embodiments of the present invention , further modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , the size , shape , location or orientation of the various components may be changed as desired . components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other may have intermediate structures disposed between them . the functions of one element may be performed by two , and vice versa . it is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which roller - type internal expanding brakes for exerting a braking force on wheel hubs were used as the braking devices , such brakes may include band or disk brakes for exerting a braking force on hubs , or caliper or cantilever brakes for exerting a braking force on rims . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which coil springs 49 and 25 were mounted on the cable connector 15 and outer retainer 22 , respectively , it is also possible to adopt an arrangement in which a coil spring is provided to either of the components , and the inner cable or the outer casing is biased in the direction in which the inner cable is exposed . fig8 is a partial cross sectional view of another embodiment of a cable connector according to the present invention . the cable connector 65 shown in fig8 is devoid of a coil spring for biasing a connection member 75 . the rest of the structure is the same as in the above embodiment . in this structure , the gap between the brake cables 14 f and 14 r can be reduced in proportion to the absence of springs . a more compact cable connector 65 can therefore be designed . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which separate brackets and casings were used , it is also possible to integrate the casings and brackets together . fig9 is a partial cross sectional view of such an embodiment . in the cable connector 80 shown in fig9 the cylindrical bracket 84 doubles as a casing , and the connection member 85 is mounted while allowed to move in the axial direction . in this case , the entire connection member 85 is biased by a single coil spring 86 . in this embodiment , the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are provided with annular markings 87 . play should be adjusted such that the markings 87 reach a position beyond the bottom portion 84 a of the bracket 84 when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking device during play adjustment . it is also possible to mount a modulator ( brake force adjusting mechanism ) capable of varying the braking force of one of the two front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r during braking . in fig1 , a modulator 95 is mounted inside a hub 94 connected to a front braking device 93 f . the modulator 95 comprises washers 96 with retaining holes nonrotatably secured in the hub 94 , and lugged washers 97 disposed between the washers 96 with retaining holes . the lugged washers 97 are secured in an annular cup 99 that rotates in conjunction with the rotary component 98 of the braking device 93 f , and are caused to rotate in conjunction with the rotary component 98 . the modulator 95 allows the rate at which the braking force increases with the operating force during braking to be reduced in accordance with the contact pressure of the two types of washers 96 and 97 . although the original embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the casing 48 was not fixedly mounted on the frame 1 , it is also possible immovably mount the casing on the frame 1 . furthermore , although the above embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the play confirmation mechanism was provided to the cable connector 15 , it is also possible to provide the gauge to the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r . every feature which is unique from the prior art , alone or in combination with other features , also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant , including the structural and / or functional concepts embodied by such feature ( s ). thus , the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed or the apparent initial focus on a particular structure or feature . | 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 | 10e8fe0495f94ffdea2cd853c85b9e709f402641ae484b35fcc054c292f20909 | 0.002975 | 0.087402 | 0.000645 | 0.031128 | 0.02478 | 0.047363 |
null | in the following descriptions , the present invention will be explained with reference to various example embodiments ; nevertheless , these example embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to any specific example , embodiment , environment , application , or particular implementation described herein . therefore , descriptions of these example embodiments are only provided for purpose of illustration rather than to limit the present invention . the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . referring to fig1 and fig2 , a knee pad assembly 100 is shown . the assembly generally comprises a base 102 and a removable cover 104 . the base 102 fastens to the user &# 39 ; s knee using fastening straps 106 , such as the ratcheting adjustable straps as shown in these figures with ratcheted fastener 109 . an upper and a lower strap are shown but more or fewer straps are within the scope of the invention . the base 102 presents a forward facing cover receiving portion 108 . the cover 104 is disposed over the forward facing portion 108 of base 102 as indicated in these figures and secured via attachment means , in this example via corner hooks 110 disposed at the corners of base 102 . the assembled knee pad 100 is shown in fig2 . the knee pad base can be configured in short or long versions as appropriate for the particular application and a user &# 39 ; s desired level of coverage . the cover is correspondingly sized . the cover may be formed from any suitable material , including rubber and plastic , and formed in any suitable shape . in addition , the cover may fully or partially comprise multirole materials such as leather , cloth , plastic , fiber glass , foam , rubber , carbon fiber , composites , metal or any other material that is designed for the end user &# 39 ; s specific job requirements . a wide variety of cover attachments means are within the scope of the invention . such means include , but are not limited to hooks , snaps , clips , hook and loop components ( e . g . velcro fasteners ) on respective portions of the base and cover , and combinations of two or more different attachment means . the user &# 39 ; s ability to change covers on the knee pad bases allows for a single pair of knee pads to be adapted to a wide variety of surface types . the ability to change covers also provides the user with the option to replace individual worn covers , wash soiled covers , and / or use job specific covers as needed , avoiding the need to purchase a replacement or additional set of knee pads . referring to fig3 and 4 , another example embodiment of a knee pad assembly 200 is shown . the base 202 is provided with one or more front facing suspension components 212 , such as rubber or foam pads . in this example embodiment , base 202 is slideably engaged with pad 204 by straps 214 that are integrated into the corners of pad 204 . straps 214 secure the knee pad assembly 200 to a user by wrapping straps 214 securely around the back of the users knee . it should also be noted that straps 214 could also be integrated with base 202 and slide through corresponding openings ( not shown ) in pad 204 to also achieve the floating suspension effect . cords may also be used instead of straps . while secured , the back surface of pad 204 engages the suspension member 212 of base 202 , and slides on guide rails 216 , allowing pad 204 to float on suspension member 212 and remain aligned via guide rails 216 , without being fixably connected to base 202 . this allows pad 204 to move in toward the knee and out away from the knee , depending on the pressure exerted on the front surface of pad 204 while in use . this provides cushioned suspension for the knee while the improved knee pad assembly is in use . the spring force of the compression component 212 may be adapted to a desired range of cushioning or compression based upon a user &# 39 ; s weight , and / or the conditions of use of the knee pad , and / or the length of time of intended use . preferably a material with an ild ( indention load deflection ) of between 45 and 100 may be used . urethane and other foams may also be used with densities of weights between 1 and 10 pounds per square foot of material . the outer cover 204 may comprise a semi - rigid or a hard plastic shell ( or similar material ) that will compress one or more of the suspension components 212 and distribute the force over the cover 204 . the cover 204 cooperates with a plurality of integrated straps 214 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 to facilitate slideable engagement , and uniform alignment , of the cover to the base . this example embodiment also illustrates a tension / release mechanism or feature . when kneeling , compression placed on the cap 204 would compress suspension components 212 and release strap tension on straps 214 and when standing , compression would be released and strap tension would be allowed to return . the purpose is to release strap tension on the back of the worker &# 39 ; s leg , nerves and blood vessels while the worker is kneeling , yet maintain security of the knee pad when the worker is standing or walking . the cap 204 , straps 214 , suspension components 212 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 cooperate to achieve this feature , as well as providing a uniform alignment of the cap 204 with the base 202 , and providing extended comfort to the user . referring to fig5 and 6 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly 300 is shown . the base 302 comprises a knee cup 304 and a suspension member 306 disposed on the outer front surface of the base . an outer cover or shell 308 is disposed over knee cup 304 and suspension member 306 by straps 310 . this arrangement allows force applied to the cover to compress the collapsible or suspension member towards the base to provide cushioning . the edges of the cover 308 slide toward the user &# 39 ; s knee along the outer perimeter surface of the base . when the pressure on the cover is released , the suspension member 306 expands to its original shape . in one variant , the suspension member 306 is partially collapsible in order to provide adequate support and air space while collapsible enough to provide desired cushioning . in addition open areas 312 in suspension member 306 allow additional cushioning and support for the knee . similar to the embodiments described and depicted in fig3 and 4 , the contact and cooperation between cover or shell 308 and suspension member 306 provides a floating type suspension for the knee while the knee pad 300 is strapped to a user by straps 310 . referring to fig7 , depicted is yet another exemplary embodiment where knee pad assembly 400 is comprised of base 402 , which is a partial shell that is disposed behind the user &# 39 ; s leg , such as on the calf and behind the knee , and cap 404 . for example , straps or a neoprene back of leg wrap 402 may be substituted for the base and straps described in the preceding examples . the cover 404 is then placed over the knee cap and restrained in place via tension members 418 , such as cords , on either side of the base spanning between the base and the cover . this arrangement promotes good pressure management on the user &# 39 ; s knee and leg . the cover 404 is shown with a honeycomb pattern 420 in a soft rubber material in order to enhance traction and provide cushioning for the user . a further feature illustrated in this example is the ratchet system 422 disposed on top of cover structure 404 and functionally connected to the tension members 418 . via the ratchet system 422 , the wearer has the ability to tighten or loosen strap pressure ( snugness ) of the knee pad . a dial 424 or other user actuator is provided to allow the user to actuate the ratchet system . referring to fig8 through 15 , depicted are various means to removeably attach a pad to a base . fig8 provides a base 502 with one or more sleeves or pockets 504 to receive the tongues 508 of cover 506 . the front receiving surface 510 of the base 502 and back surface 511 of cover 506 , may further be provided with a respective portion of a hook and loop fastener 512 to further secure the cover to the base . the cover 506 shown in this example is a generally rectangular and slightly curved semi - rigid board comprising a polyethylene material . however , the board can vary in size , shape and material as appropriate for the particular usage . referring to fig9 , an exemplar knee pad assembly is shown with another cover fastening means . an elastic hem 522 is provided around the perimeter 524 of the cover receiving surface 526 of the base 520 . the perimeter 528 of the cover 530 includes corresponding protruding tabs or projections 532 that are sized and shaped for being received in the elastic hem 522 . hook and loop 527 may also be used as shown in fig8 , and can further be used with all embodiment disclosed herein . referring to fig1 , a further embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the base and cover is shown in fig9 . in addition , an overlay cover 534 is now provided . the overlay cover 534 is disposed over the cover 530 and then secured to the base with a plurality of reinforced strap loops 536 . the straps 538 used to secure the base to the knee region of the user are placed through the reinforced loops 536 of the overlay cover 534 to secure the cover and overlay in place . referring to fig1 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the cover or overlay 540 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 542 . the cords 542 can extend through the cover 540 for better securement . a tab 544 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 542 . the cover 540 is secured to the base 546 by inserting the tabs 544 into respective slots or pockets 548 in the base 546 . channels 550 in the outer perimeter surface 552 of the base 546 may be provided to further retain the bands in place . hook and loop fasteners 554 may further be provided on respective portions of the cover and base to further secure the cover to the base . fig1 illustrates a cord - lock means 562 for securing the cover 564 to the base 566 . raised corners 568 on the cover are inserted behind portions of the locking cord 570 . the locking cord or cords 570 are then tightened by pulling on cords 563 and retainer 562 is then used to maintain the tension in the retaining cord ( s ). fig1 through 15 illustrate other exemplar attachment embodiment means for a knee pad assembly . the cover or overlay 578 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 572 shown at the corners of the cover 578 . the cords can extend through the cover in a crossing pattern or “ x ” shape 574 for better securement , as shown in fig1 . a tab 576 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 572 . the cover 578 is secured to the base 580 by inserting the tabs 576 into respective slots or pockets 582 in the base at the corners thereof . the corner pockets may be raised to facilitate insertion and removal of the tabs . fig1 further illustrates that cover 578 may be used to secure pads used in previous embodiments to a base such as base 580 . note that the underlayment of pad 584 of fig1 includes a plurality of slots 586 for receiving the knee pad retaining straps 581 . the compressibility factor ( including material property and physical dimensions and shape ) of the collapsible or suspension members disclosed herein can be varied to accommodate different user weight ranges and to accommodate a user &# 39 ; s desired cushioning factor . the cover can be secured using a variety of means as discussed in this disclosure . alternatively , the cover may include straps that secure the assembly directly to the user &# 39 ; s knees , such as elastic cord or adjustable straps that extend behind the knee of the user . the collapsible or suspension members may comprise a wide variety of materials , including , springs , pen cell foam , closed cell foam , air bag , molded eva , soft 3d fabric ( spacer mesh ), a resilient honeycomb structure , rubber , or any combination of these or other materials . the cushioning factor can also be selected according to body weight or according to average time spent kneeling / hour . for example , body weight ranges of 80 to 150 lb , 150 to 225 lb , and over 225 lb ; kneeling 10 min ./ hour , 30 min ./ hour and 50 min ./ hour . however more or fewer ranges may be specified . features of the various embodiments discussed herein can be mixed and matched in any manner of additional embodiments that are all within the scope of the invention regardless of whether or not explicitly discussed herein . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments . it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure , such scope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products . moreover , features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed and matched ( even if such combination is not explicitly described herein ) without departing from the scope of the invention . for purposes of interpreting the claims for the present invention , it is expressly intended that the provisions of section 112 , sixth paragraph of 35 u . s . c . are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “ means for ” or “ step for ” are recited in a claim . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 29cb279ae5091feff7900af86675823d0c754d39010e2cdda96f72879887d166 | 0.129883 | 0.022339 | 0.075684 | 0.02124 | 0.133789 | 0.026001 |
null | in the following descriptions , the present invention will be explained with reference to various example embodiments ; nevertheless , these example embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to any specific example , embodiment , environment , application , or particular implementation described herein . therefore , descriptions of these example embodiments are only provided for purpose of illustration rather than to limit the present invention . the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . referring to fig1 and fig2 , a knee pad assembly 100 is shown . the assembly generally comprises a base 102 and a removable cover 104 . the base 102 fastens to the user &# 39 ; s knee using fastening straps 106 , such as the ratcheting adjustable straps as shown in these figures with ratcheted fastener 109 . an upper and a lower strap are shown but more or fewer straps are within the scope of the invention . the base 102 presents a forward facing cover receiving portion 108 . the cover 104 is disposed over the forward facing portion 108 of base 102 as indicated in these figures and secured via attachment means , in this example via corner hooks 110 disposed at the corners of base 102 . the assembled knee pad 100 is shown in fig2 . the knee pad base can be configured in short or long versions as appropriate for the particular application and a user &# 39 ; s desired level of coverage . the cover is correspondingly sized . the cover may be formed from any suitable material , including rubber and plastic , and formed in any suitable shape . in addition , the cover may fully or partially comprise multirole materials such as leather , cloth , plastic , fiber glass , foam , rubber , carbon fiber , composites , metal or any other material that is designed for the end user &# 39 ; s specific job requirements . a wide variety of cover attachments means are within the scope of the invention . such means include , but are not limited to hooks , snaps , clips , hook and loop components ( e . g . velcro fasteners ) on respective portions of the base and cover , and combinations of two or more different attachment means . the user &# 39 ; s ability to change covers on the knee pad bases allows for a single pair of knee pads to be adapted to a wide variety of surface types . the ability to change covers also provides the user with the option to replace individual worn covers , wash soiled covers , and / or use job specific covers as needed , avoiding the need to purchase a replacement or additional set of knee pads . referring to fig3 and 4 , another example embodiment of a knee pad assembly 200 is shown . the base 202 is provided with one or more front facing suspension components 212 , such as rubber or foam pads . in this example embodiment , base 202 is slideably engaged with pad 204 by straps 214 that are integrated into the corners of pad 204 . straps 214 secure the knee pad assembly 200 to a user by wrapping straps 214 securely around the back of the users knee . it should also be noted that straps 214 could also be integrated with base 202 and slide through corresponding openings ( not shown ) in pad 204 to also achieve the floating suspension effect . cords may also be used instead of straps . while secured , the back surface of pad 204 engages the suspension member 212 of base 202 , and slides on guide rails 216 , allowing pad 204 to float on suspension member 212 and remain aligned via guide rails 216 , without being fixably connected to base 202 . this allows pad 204 to move in toward the knee and out away from the knee , depending on the pressure exerted on the front surface of pad 204 while in use . this provides cushioned suspension for the knee while the improved knee pad assembly is in use . the spring force of the compression component 212 may be adapted to a desired range of cushioning or compression based upon a user &# 39 ; s weight , and / or the conditions of use of the knee pad , and / or the length of time of intended use . preferably a material with an ild ( indention load deflection ) of between 45 and 100 may be used . urethane and other foams may also be used with densities of weights between 1 and 10 pounds per square foot of material . the outer cover 204 may comprise a semi - rigid or a hard plastic shell ( or similar material ) that will compress one or more of the suspension components 212 and distribute the force over the cover 204 . the cover 204 cooperates with a plurality of integrated straps 214 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 to facilitate slideable engagement , and uniform alignment , of the cover to the base . this example embodiment also illustrates a tension / release mechanism or feature . when kneeling , compression placed on the cap 204 would compress suspension components 212 and release strap tension on straps 214 and when standing , compression would be released and strap tension would be allowed to return . the purpose is to release strap tension on the back of the worker &# 39 ; s leg , nerves and blood vessels while the worker is kneeling , yet maintain security of the knee pad when the worker is standing or walking . the cap 204 , straps 214 , suspension components 212 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 cooperate to achieve this feature , as well as providing a uniform alignment of the cap 204 with the base 202 , and providing extended comfort to the user . referring to fig5 and 6 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly 300 is shown . the base 302 comprises a knee cup 304 and a suspension member 306 disposed on the outer front surface of the base . an outer cover or shell 308 is disposed over knee cup 304 and suspension member 306 by straps 310 . this arrangement allows force applied to the cover to compress the collapsible or suspension member towards the base to provide cushioning . the edges of the cover 308 slide toward the user &# 39 ; s knee along the outer perimeter surface of the base . when the pressure on the cover is released , the suspension member 306 expands to its original shape . in one variant , the suspension member 306 is partially collapsible in order to provide adequate support and air space while collapsible enough to provide desired cushioning . in addition open areas 312 in suspension member 306 allow additional cushioning and support for the knee . similar to the embodiments described and depicted in fig3 and 4 , the contact and cooperation between cover or shell 308 and suspension member 306 provides a floating type suspension for the knee while the knee pad 300 is strapped to a user by straps 310 . referring to fig7 , depicted is yet another exemplary embodiment where knee pad assembly 400 is comprised of base 402 , which is a partial shell that is disposed behind the user &# 39 ; s leg , such as on the calf and behind the knee , and cap 404 . for example , straps or a neoprene back of leg wrap 402 may be substituted for the base and straps described in the preceding examples . the cover 404 is then placed over the knee cap and restrained in place via tension members 418 , such as cords , on either side of the base spanning between the base and the cover . this arrangement promotes good pressure management on the user &# 39 ; s knee and leg . the cover 404 is shown with a honeycomb pattern 420 in a soft rubber material in order to enhance traction and provide cushioning for the user . a further feature illustrated in this example is the ratchet system 422 disposed on top of cover structure 404 and functionally connected to the tension members 418 . via the ratchet system 422 , the wearer has the ability to tighten or loosen strap pressure ( snugness ) of the knee pad . a dial 424 or other user actuator is provided to allow the user to actuate the ratchet system . referring to fig8 through 15 , depicted are various means to removeably attach a pad to a base . fig8 provides a base 502 with one or more sleeves or pockets 504 to receive the tongues 508 of cover 506 . the front receiving surface 510 of the base 502 and back surface 511 of cover 506 , may further be provided with a respective portion of a hook and loop fastener 512 to further secure the cover to the base . the cover 506 shown in this example is a generally rectangular and slightly curved semi - rigid board comprising a polyethylene material . however , the board can vary in size , shape and material as appropriate for the particular usage . referring to fig9 , an exemplar knee pad assembly is shown with another cover fastening means . an elastic hem 522 is provided around the perimeter 524 of the cover receiving surface 526 of the base 520 . the perimeter 528 of the cover 530 includes corresponding protruding tabs or projections 532 that are sized and shaped for being received in the elastic hem 522 . hook and loop 527 may also be used as shown in fig8 , and can further be used with all embodiment disclosed herein . referring to fig1 , a further embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the base and cover is shown in fig9 . in addition , an overlay cover 534 is now provided . the overlay cover 534 is disposed over the cover 530 and then secured to the base with a plurality of reinforced strap loops 536 . the straps 538 used to secure the base to the knee region of the user are placed through the reinforced loops 536 of the overlay cover 534 to secure the cover and overlay in place . referring to fig1 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the cover or overlay 540 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 542 . the cords 542 can extend through the cover 540 for better securement . a tab 544 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 542 . the cover 540 is secured to the base 546 by inserting the tabs 544 into respective slots or pockets 548 in the base 546 . channels 550 in the outer perimeter surface 552 of the base 546 may be provided to further retain the bands in place . hook and loop fasteners 554 may further be provided on respective portions of the cover and base to further secure the cover to the base . fig1 illustrates a cord - lock means 562 for securing the cover 564 to the base 566 . raised corners 568 on the cover are inserted behind portions of the locking cord 570 . the locking cord or cords 570 are then tightened by pulling on cords 563 and retainer 562 is then used to maintain the tension in the retaining cord ( s ). fig1 through 15 illustrate other exemplar attachment embodiment means for a knee pad assembly . the cover or overlay 578 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 572 shown at the corners of the cover 578 . the cords can extend through the cover in a crossing pattern or “ x ” shape 574 for better securement , as shown in fig1 . a tab 576 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 572 . the cover 578 is secured to the base 580 by inserting the tabs 576 into respective slots or pockets 582 in the base at the corners thereof . the corner pockets may be raised to facilitate insertion and removal of the tabs . fig1 further illustrates that cover 578 may be used to secure pads used in previous embodiments to a base such as base 580 . note that the underlayment of pad 584 of fig1 includes a plurality of slots 586 for receiving the knee pad retaining straps 581 . the compressibility factor ( including material property and physical dimensions and shape ) of the collapsible or suspension members disclosed herein can be varied to accommodate different user weight ranges and to accommodate a user &# 39 ; s desired cushioning factor . the cover can be secured using a variety of means as discussed in this disclosure . alternatively , the cover may include straps that secure the assembly directly to the user &# 39 ; s knees , such as elastic cord or adjustable straps that extend behind the knee of the user . the collapsible or suspension members may comprise a wide variety of materials , including , springs , pen cell foam , closed cell foam , air bag , molded eva , soft 3d fabric ( spacer mesh ), a resilient honeycomb structure , rubber , or any combination of these or other materials . the cushioning factor can also be selected according to body weight or according to average time spent kneeling / hour . for example , body weight ranges of 80 to 150 lb , 150 to 225 lb , and over 225 lb ; kneeling 10 min ./ hour , 30 min ./ hour and 50 min ./ hour . however more or fewer ranges may be specified . features of the various embodiments discussed herein can be mixed and matched in any manner of additional embodiments that are all within the scope of the invention regardless of whether or not explicitly discussed herein . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments . it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure , such scope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products . moreover , features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed and matched ( even if such combination is not explicitly described herein ) without departing from the scope of the invention . for purposes of interpreting the claims for the present invention , it is expressly intended that the provisions of section 112 , sixth paragraph of 35 u . s . c . are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “ means for ” or “ step for ” are recited in a claim . | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | Is 'Chemistry; Metallurgy' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 29cb279ae5091feff7900af86675823d0c754d39010e2cdda96f72879887d166 | 0.08252 | 0.000828 | 0.023315 | 0.000404 | 0.070801 | 0.001984 |
null | in the following descriptions , the present invention will be explained with reference to various example embodiments ; nevertheless , these example embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to any specific example , embodiment , environment , application , or particular implementation described herein . therefore , descriptions of these example embodiments are only provided for purpose of illustration rather than to limit the present invention . the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . referring to fig1 and fig2 , a knee pad assembly 100 is shown . the assembly generally comprises a base 102 and a removable cover 104 . the base 102 fastens to the user &# 39 ; s knee using fastening straps 106 , such as the ratcheting adjustable straps as shown in these figures with ratcheted fastener 109 . an upper and a lower strap are shown but more or fewer straps are within the scope of the invention . the base 102 presents a forward facing cover receiving portion 108 . the cover 104 is disposed over the forward facing portion 108 of base 102 as indicated in these figures and secured via attachment means , in this example via corner hooks 110 disposed at the corners of base 102 . the assembled knee pad 100 is shown in fig2 . the knee pad base can be configured in short or long versions as appropriate for the particular application and a user &# 39 ; s desired level of coverage . the cover is correspondingly sized . the cover may be formed from any suitable material , including rubber and plastic , and formed in any suitable shape . in addition , the cover may fully or partially comprise multirole materials such as leather , cloth , plastic , fiber glass , foam , rubber , carbon fiber , composites , metal or any other material that is designed for the end user &# 39 ; s specific job requirements . a wide variety of cover attachments means are within the scope of the invention . such means include , but are not limited to hooks , snaps , clips , hook and loop components ( e . g . velcro fasteners ) on respective portions of the base and cover , and combinations of two or more different attachment means . the user &# 39 ; s ability to change covers on the knee pad bases allows for a single pair of knee pads to be adapted to a wide variety of surface types . the ability to change covers also provides the user with the option to replace individual worn covers , wash soiled covers , and / or use job specific covers as needed , avoiding the need to purchase a replacement or additional set of knee pads . referring to fig3 and 4 , another example embodiment of a knee pad assembly 200 is shown . the base 202 is provided with one or more front facing suspension components 212 , such as rubber or foam pads . in this example embodiment , base 202 is slideably engaged with pad 204 by straps 214 that are integrated into the corners of pad 204 . straps 214 secure the knee pad assembly 200 to a user by wrapping straps 214 securely around the back of the users knee . it should also be noted that straps 214 could also be integrated with base 202 and slide through corresponding openings ( not shown ) in pad 204 to also achieve the floating suspension effect . cords may also be used instead of straps . while secured , the back surface of pad 204 engages the suspension member 212 of base 202 , and slides on guide rails 216 , allowing pad 204 to float on suspension member 212 and remain aligned via guide rails 216 , without being fixably connected to base 202 . this allows pad 204 to move in toward the knee and out away from the knee , depending on the pressure exerted on the front surface of pad 204 while in use . this provides cushioned suspension for the knee while the improved knee pad assembly is in use . the spring force of the compression component 212 may be adapted to a desired range of cushioning or compression based upon a user &# 39 ; s weight , and / or the conditions of use of the knee pad , and / or the length of time of intended use . preferably a material with an ild ( indention load deflection ) of between 45 and 100 may be used . urethane and other foams may also be used with densities of weights between 1 and 10 pounds per square foot of material . the outer cover 204 may comprise a semi - rigid or a hard plastic shell ( or similar material ) that will compress one or more of the suspension components 212 and distribute the force over the cover 204 . the cover 204 cooperates with a plurality of integrated straps 214 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 to facilitate slideable engagement , and uniform alignment , of the cover to the base . this example embodiment also illustrates a tension / release mechanism or feature . when kneeling , compression placed on the cap 204 would compress suspension components 212 and release strap tension on straps 214 and when standing , compression would be released and strap tension would be allowed to return . the purpose is to release strap tension on the back of the worker &# 39 ; s leg , nerves and blood vessels while the worker is kneeling , yet maintain security of the knee pad when the worker is standing or walking . the cap 204 , straps 214 , suspension components 212 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 cooperate to achieve this feature , as well as providing a uniform alignment of the cap 204 with the base 202 , and providing extended comfort to the user . referring to fig5 and 6 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly 300 is shown . the base 302 comprises a knee cup 304 and a suspension member 306 disposed on the outer front surface of the base . an outer cover or shell 308 is disposed over knee cup 304 and suspension member 306 by straps 310 . this arrangement allows force applied to the cover to compress the collapsible or suspension member towards the base to provide cushioning . the edges of the cover 308 slide toward the user &# 39 ; s knee along the outer perimeter surface of the base . when the pressure on the cover is released , the suspension member 306 expands to its original shape . in one variant , the suspension member 306 is partially collapsible in order to provide adequate support and air space while collapsible enough to provide desired cushioning . in addition open areas 312 in suspension member 306 allow additional cushioning and support for the knee . similar to the embodiments described and depicted in fig3 and 4 , the contact and cooperation between cover or shell 308 and suspension member 306 provides a floating type suspension for the knee while the knee pad 300 is strapped to a user by straps 310 . referring to fig7 , depicted is yet another exemplary embodiment where knee pad assembly 400 is comprised of base 402 , which is a partial shell that is disposed behind the user &# 39 ; s leg , such as on the calf and behind the knee , and cap 404 . for example , straps or a neoprene back of leg wrap 402 may be substituted for the base and straps described in the preceding examples . the cover 404 is then placed over the knee cap and restrained in place via tension members 418 , such as cords , on either side of the base spanning between the base and the cover . this arrangement promotes good pressure management on the user &# 39 ; s knee and leg . the cover 404 is shown with a honeycomb pattern 420 in a soft rubber material in order to enhance traction and provide cushioning for the user . a further feature illustrated in this example is the ratchet system 422 disposed on top of cover structure 404 and functionally connected to the tension members 418 . via the ratchet system 422 , the wearer has the ability to tighten or loosen strap pressure ( snugness ) of the knee pad . a dial 424 or other user actuator is provided to allow the user to actuate the ratchet system . referring to fig8 through 15 , depicted are various means to removeably attach a pad to a base . fig8 provides a base 502 with one or more sleeves or pockets 504 to receive the tongues 508 of cover 506 . the front receiving surface 510 of the base 502 and back surface 511 of cover 506 , may further be provided with a respective portion of a hook and loop fastener 512 to further secure the cover to the base . the cover 506 shown in this example is a generally rectangular and slightly curved semi - rigid board comprising a polyethylene material . however , the board can vary in size , shape and material as appropriate for the particular usage . referring to fig9 , an exemplar knee pad assembly is shown with another cover fastening means . an elastic hem 522 is provided around the perimeter 524 of the cover receiving surface 526 of the base 520 . the perimeter 528 of the cover 530 includes corresponding protruding tabs or projections 532 that are sized and shaped for being received in the elastic hem 522 . hook and loop 527 may also be used as shown in fig8 , and can further be used with all embodiment disclosed herein . referring to fig1 , a further embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the base and cover is shown in fig9 . in addition , an overlay cover 534 is now provided . the overlay cover 534 is disposed over the cover 530 and then secured to the base with a plurality of reinforced strap loops 536 . the straps 538 used to secure the base to the knee region of the user are placed through the reinforced loops 536 of the overlay cover 534 to secure the cover and overlay in place . referring to fig1 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the cover or overlay 540 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 542 . the cords 542 can extend through the cover 540 for better securement . a tab 544 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 542 . the cover 540 is secured to the base 546 by inserting the tabs 544 into respective slots or pockets 548 in the base 546 . channels 550 in the outer perimeter surface 552 of the base 546 may be provided to further retain the bands in place . hook and loop fasteners 554 may further be provided on respective portions of the cover and base to further secure the cover to the base . fig1 illustrates a cord - lock means 562 for securing the cover 564 to the base 566 . raised corners 568 on the cover are inserted behind portions of the locking cord 570 . the locking cord or cords 570 are then tightened by pulling on cords 563 and retainer 562 is then used to maintain the tension in the retaining cord ( s ). fig1 through 15 illustrate other exemplar attachment embodiment means for a knee pad assembly . the cover or overlay 578 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 572 shown at the corners of the cover 578 . the cords can extend through the cover in a crossing pattern or “ x ” shape 574 for better securement , as shown in fig1 . a tab 576 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 572 . the cover 578 is secured to the base 580 by inserting the tabs 576 into respective slots or pockets 582 in the base at the corners thereof . the corner pockets may be raised to facilitate insertion and removal of the tabs . fig1 further illustrates that cover 578 may be used to secure pads used in previous embodiments to a base such as base 580 . note that the underlayment of pad 584 of fig1 includes a plurality of slots 586 for receiving the knee pad retaining straps 581 . the compressibility factor ( including material property and physical dimensions and shape ) of the collapsible or suspension members disclosed herein can be varied to accommodate different user weight ranges and to accommodate a user &# 39 ; s desired cushioning factor . the cover can be secured using a variety of means as discussed in this disclosure . alternatively , the cover may include straps that secure the assembly directly to the user &# 39 ; s knees , such as elastic cord or adjustable straps that extend behind the knee of the user . the collapsible or suspension members may comprise a wide variety of materials , including , springs , pen cell foam , closed cell foam , air bag , molded eva , soft 3d fabric ( spacer mesh ), a resilient honeycomb structure , rubber , or any combination of these or other materials . the cushioning factor can also be selected according to body weight or according to average time spent kneeling / hour . for example , body weight ranges of 80 to 150 lb , 150 to 225 lb , and over 225 lb ; kneeling 10 min ./ hour , 30 min ./ hour and 50 min ./ hour . however more or fewer ranges may be specified . features of the various embodiments discussed herein can be mixed and matched in any manner of additional embodiments that are all within the scope of the invention regardless of whether or not explicitly discussed herein . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments . it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure , such scope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products . moreover , features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed and matched ( even if such combination is not explicitly described herein ) without departing from the scope of the invention . for purposes of interpreting the claims for the present invention , it is expressly intended that the provisions of section 112 , sixth paragraph of 35 u . s . c . are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “ means for ” or “ step for ” are recited in a claim . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | 29cb279ae5091feff7900af86675823d0c754d39010e2cdda96f72879887d166 | 0.132813 | 0.000912 | 0.075684 | 0.000026 | 0.133789 | 0.0065 |
null | in the following descriptions , the present invention will be explained with reference to various example embodiments ; nevertheless , these example embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to any specific example , embodiment , environment , application , or particular implementation described herein . therefore , descriptions of these example embodiments are only provided for purpose of illustration rather than to limit the present invention . the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . referring to fig1 and fig2 , a knee pad assembly 100 is shown . the assembly generally comprises a base 102 and a removable cover 104 . the base 102 fastens to the user &# 39 ; s knee using fastening straps 106 , such as the ratcheting adjustable straps as shown in these figures with ratcheted fastener 109 . an upper and a lower strap are shown but more or fewer straps are within the scope of the invention . the base 102 presents a forward facing cover receiving portion 108 . the cover 104 is disposed over the forward facing portion 108 of base 102 as indicated in these figures and secured via attachment means , in this example via corner hooks 110 disposed at the corners of base 102 . the assembled knee pad 100 is shown in fig2 . the knee pad base can be configured in short or long versions as appropriate for the particular application and a user &# 39 ; s desired level of coverage . the cover is correspondingly sized . the cover may be formed from any suitable material , including rubber and plastic , and formed in any suitable shape . in addition , the cover may fully or partially comprise multirole materials such as leather , cloth , plastic , fiber glass , foam , rubber , carbon fiber , composites , metal or any other material that is designed for the end user &# 39 ; s specific job requirements . a wide variety of cover attachments means are within the scope of the invention . such means include , but are not limited to hooks , snaps , clips , hook and loop components ( e . g . velcro fasteners ) on respective portions of the base and cover , and combinations of two or more different attachment means . the user &# 39 ; s ability to change covers on the knee pad bases allows for a single pair of knee pads to be adapted to a wide variety of surface types . the ability to change covers also provides the user with the option to replace individual worn covers , wash soiled covers , and / or use job specific covers as needed , avoiding the need to purchase a replacement or additional set of knee pads . referring to fig3 and 4 , another example embodiment of a knee pad assembly 200 is shown . the base 202 is provided with one or more front facing suspension components 212 , such as rubber or foam pads . in this example embodiment , base 202 is slideably engaged with pad 204 by straps 214 that are integrated into the corners of pad 204 . straps 214 secure the knee pad assembly 200 to a user by wrapping straps 214 securely around the back of the users knee . it should also be noted that straps 214 could also be integrated with base 202 and slide through corresponding openings ( not shown ) in pad 204 to also achieve the floating suspension effect . cords may also be used instead of straps . while secured , the back surface of pad 204 engages the suspension member 212 of base 202 , and slides on guide rails 216 , allowing pad 204 to float on suspension member 212 and remain aligned via guide rails 216 , without being fixably connected to base 202 . this allows pad 204 to move in toward the knee and out away from the knee , depending on the pressure exerted on the front surface of pad 204 while in use . this provides cushioned suspension for the knee while the improved knee pad assembly is in use . the spring force of the compression component 212 may be adapted to a desired range of cushioning or compression based upon a user &# 39 ; s weight , and / or the conditions of use of the knee pad , and / or the length of time of intended use . preferably a material with an ild ( indention load deflection ) of between 45 and 100 may be used . urethane and other foams may also be used with densities of weights between 1 and 10 pounds per square foot of material . the outer cover 204 may comprise a semi - rigid or a hard plastic shell ( or similar material ) that will compress one or more of the suspension components 212 and distribute the force over the cover 204 . the cover 204 cooperates with a plurality of integrated straps 214 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 to facilitate slideable engagement , and uniform alignment , of the cover to the base . this example embodiment also illustrates a tension / release mechanism or feature . when kneeling , compression placed on the cap 204 would compress suspension components 212 and release strap tension on straps 214 and when standing , compression would be released and strap tension would be allowed to return . the purpose is to release strap tension on the back of the worker &# 39 ; s leg , nerves and blood vessels while the worker is kneeling , yet maintain security of the knee pad when the worker is standing or walking . the cap 204 , straps 214 , suspension components 212 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 cooperate to achieve this feature , as well as providing a uniform alignment of the cap 204 with the base 202 , and providing extended comfort to the user . referring to fig5 and 6 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly 300 is shown . the base 302 comprises a knee cup 304 and a suspension member 306 disposed on the outer front surface of the base . an outer cover or shell 308 is disposed over knee cup 304 and suspension member 306 by straps 310 . this arrangement allows force applied to the cover to compress the collapsible or suspension member towards the base to provide cushioning . the edges of the cover 308 slide toward the user &# 39 ; s knee along the outer perimeter surface of the base . when the pressure on the cover is released , the suspension member 306 expands to its original shape . in one variant , the suspension member 306 is partially collapsible in order to provide adequate support and air space while collapsible enough to provide desired cushioning . in addition open areas 312 in suspension member 306 allow additional cushioning and support for the knee . similar to the embodiments described and depicted in fig3 and 4 , the contact and cooperation between cover or shell 308 and suspension member 306 provides a floating type suspension for the knee while the knee pad 300 is strapped to a user by straps 310 . referring to fig7 , depicted is yet another exemplary embodiment where knee pad assembly 400 is comprised of base 402 , which is a partial shell that is disposed behind the user &# 39 ; s leg , such as on the calf and behind the knee , and cap 404 . for example , straps or a neoprene back of leg wrap 402 may be substituted for the base and straps described in the preceding examples . the cover 404 is then placed over the knee cap and restrained in place via tension members 418 , such as cords , on either side of the base spanning between the base and the cover . this arrangement promotes good pressure management on the user &# 39 ; s knee and leg . the cover 404 is shown with a honeycomb pattern 420 in a soft rubber material in order to enhance traction and provide cushioning for the user . a further feature illustrated in this example is the ratchet system 422 disposed on top of cover structure 404 and functionally connected to the tension members 418 . via the ratchet system 422 , the wearer has the ability to tighten or loosen strap pressure ( snugness ) of the knee pad . a dial 424 or other user actuator is provided to allow the user to actuate the ratchet system . referring to fig8 through 15 , depicted are various means to removeably attach a pad to a base . fig8 provides a base 502 with one or more sleeves or pockets 504 to receive the tongues 508 of cover 506 . the front receiving surface 510 of the base 502 and back surface 511 of cover 506 , may further be provided with a respective portion of a hook and loop fastener 512 to further secure the cover to the base . the cover 506 shown in this example is a generally rectangular and slightly curved semi - rigid board comprising a polyethylene material . however , the board can vary in size , shape and material as appropriate for the particular usage . referring to fig9 , an exemplar knee pad assembly is shown with another cover fastening means . an elastic hem 522 is provided around the perimeter 524 of the cover receiving surface 526 of the base 520 . the perimeter 528 of the cover 530 includes corresponding protruding tabs or projections 532 that are sized and shaped for being received in the elastic hem 522 . hook and loop 527 may also be used as shown in fig8 , and can further be used with all embodiment disclosed herein . referring to fig1 , a further embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the base and cover is shown in fig9 . in addition , an overlay cover 534 is now provided . the overlay cover 534 is disposed over the cover 530 and then secured to the base with a plurality of reinforced strap loops 536 . the straps 538 used to secure the base to the knee region of the user are placed through the reinforced loops 536 of the overlay cover 534 to secure the cover and overlay in place . referring to fig1 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the cover or overlay 540 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 542 . the cords 542 can extend through the cover 540 for better securement . a tab 544 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 542 . the cover 540 is secured to the base 546 by inserting the tabs 544 into respective slots or pockets 548 in the base 546 . channels 550 in the outer perimeter surface 552 of the base 546 may be provided to further retain the bands in place . hook and loop fasteners 554 may further be provided on respective portions of the cover and base to further secure the cover to the base . fig1 illustrates a cord - lock means 562 for securing the cover 564 to the base 566 . raised corners 568 on the cover are inserted behind portions of the locking cord 570 . the locking cord or cords 570 are then tightened by pulling on cords 563 and retainer 562 is then used to maintain the tension in the retaining cord ( s ). fig1 through 15 illustrate other exemplar attachment embodiment means for a knee pad assembly . the cover or overlay 578 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 572 shown at the corners of the cover 578 . the cords can extend through the cover in a crossing pattern or “ x ” shape 574 for better securement , as shown in fig1 . a tab 576 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 572 . the cover 578 is secured to the base 580 by inserting the tabs 576 into respective slots or pockets 582 in the base at the corners thereof . the corner pockets may be raised to facilitate insertion and removal of the tabs . fig1 further illustrates that cover 578 may be used to secure pads used in previous embodiments to a base such as base 580 . note that the underlayment of pad 584 of fig1 includes a plurality of slots 586 for receiving the knee pad retaining straps 581 . the compressibility factor ( including material property and physical dimensions and shape ) of the collapsible or suspension members disclosed herein can be varied to accommodate different user weight ranges and to accommodate a user &# 39 ; s desired cushioning factor . the cover can be secured using a variety of means as discussed in this disclosure . alternatively , the cover may include straps that secure the assembly directly to the user &# 39 ; s knees , such as elastic cord or adjustable straps that extend behind the knee of the user . the collapsible or suspension members may comprise a wide variety of materials , including , springs , pen cell foam , closed cell foam , air bag , molded eva , soft 3d fabric ( spacer mesh ), a resilient honeycomb structure , rubber , or any combination of these or other materials . the cushioning factor can also be selected according to body weight or according to average time spent kneeling / hour . for example , body weight ranges of 80 to 150 lb , 150 to 225 lb , and over 225 lb ; kneeling 10 min ./ hour , 30 min ./ hour and 50 min ./ hour . however more or fewer ranges may be specified . features of the various embodiments discussed herein can be mixed and matched in any manner of additional embodiments that are all within the scope of the invention regardless of whether or not explicitly discussed herein . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments . it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure , such scope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products . moreover , features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed and matched ( even if such combination is not explicitly described herein ) without departing from the scope of the invention . for purposes of interpreting the claims for the present invention , it is expressly intended that the provisions of section 112 , sixth paragraph of 35 u . s . c . are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “ means for ” or “ step for ” are recited in a claim . | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | Is 'Fixed Constructions' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 29cb279ae5091feff7900af86675823d0c754d39010e2cdda96f72879887d166 | 0.083984 | 0.004761 | 0.023315 | 0.000668 | 0.070801 | 0.005737 |
null | in the following descriptions , the present invention will be explained with reference to various example embodiments ; nevertheless , these example embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to any specific example , embodiment , environment , application , or particular implementation described herein . therefore , descriptions of these example embodiments are only provided for purpose of illustration rather than to limit the present invention . the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . referring to fig1 and fig2 , a knee pad assembly 100 is shown . the assembly generally comprises a base 102 and a removable cover 104 . the base 102 fastens to the user &# 39 ; s knee using fastening straps 106 , such as the ratcheting adjustable straps as shown in these figures with ratcheted fastener 109 . an upper and a lower strap are shown but more or fewer straps are within the scope of the invention . the base 102 presents a forward facing cover receiving portion 108 . the cover 104 is disposed over the forward facing portion 108 of base 102 as indicated in these figures and secured via attachment means , in this example via corner hooks 110 disposed at the corners of base 102 . the assembled knee pad 100 is shown in fig2 . the knee pad base can be configured in short or long versions as appropriate for the particular application and a user &# 39 ; s desired level of coverage . the cover is correspondingly sized . the cover may be formed from any suitable material , including rubber and plastic , and formed in any suitable shape . in addition , the cover may fully or partially comprise multirole materials such as leather , cloth , plastic , fiber glass , foam , rubber , carbon fiber , composites , metal or any other material that is designed for the end user &# 39 ; s specific job requirements . a wide variety of cover attachments means are within the scope of the invention . such means include , but are not limited to hooks , snaps , clips , hook and loop components ( e . g . velcro fasteners ) on respective portions of the base and cover , and combinations of two or more different attachment means . the user &# 39 ; s ability to change covers on the knee pad bases allows for a single pair of knee pads to be adapted to a wide variety of surface types . the ability to change covers also provides the user with the option to replace individual worn covers , wash soiled covers , and / or use job specific covers as needed , avoiding the need to purchase a replacement or additional set of knee pads . referring to fig3 and 4 , another example embodiment of a knee pad assembly 200 is shown . the base 202 is provided with one or more front facing suspension components 212 , such as rubber or foam pads . in this example embodiment , base 202 is slideably engaged with pad 204 by straps 214 that are integrated into the corners of pad 204 . straps 214 secure the knee pad assembly 200 to a user by wrapping straps 214 securely around the back of the users knee . it should also be noted that straps 214 could also be integrated with base 202 and slide through corresponding openings ( not shown ) in pad 204 to also achieve the floating suspension effect . cords may also be used instead of straps . while secured , the back surface of pad 204 engages the suspension member 212 of base 202 , and slides on guide rails 216 , allowing pad 204 to float on suspension member 212 and remain aligned via guide rails 216 , without being fixably connected to base 202 . this allows pad 204 to move in toward the knee and out away from the knee , depending on the pressure exerted on the front surface of pad 204 while in use . this provides cushioned suspension for the knee while the improved knee pad assembly is in use . the spring force of the compression component 212 may be adapted to a desired range of cushioning or compression based upon a user &# 39 ; s weight , and / or the conditions of use of the knee pad , and / or the length of time of intended use . preferably a material with an ild ( indention load deflection ) of between 45 and 100 may be used . urethane and other foams may also be used with densities of weights between 1 and 10 pounds per square foot of material . the outer cover 204 may comprise a semi - rigid or a hard plastic shell ( or similar material ) that will compress one or more of the suspension components 212 and distribute the force over the cover 204 . the cover 204 cooperates with a plurality of integrated straps 214 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 to facilitate slideable engagement , and uniform alignment , of the cover to the base . this example embodiment also illustrates a tension / release mechanism or feature . when kneeling , compression placed on the cap 204 would compress suspension components 212 and release strap tension on straps 214 and when standing , compression would be released and strap tension would be allowed to return . the purpose is to release strap tension on the back of the worker &# 39 ; s leg , nerves and blood vessels while the worker is kneeling , yet maintain security of the knee pad when the worker is standing or walking . the cap 204 , straps 214 , suspension components 212 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 cooperate to achieve this feature , as well as providing a uniform alignment of the cap 204 with the base 202 , and providing extended comfort to the user . referring to fig5 and 6 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly 300 is shown . the base 302 comprises a knee cup 304 and a suspension member 306 disposed on the outer front surface of the base . an outer cover or shell 308 is disposed over knee cup 304 and suspension member 306 by straps 310 . this arrangement allows force applied to the cover to compress the collapsible or suspension member towards the base to provide cushioning . the edges of the cover 308 slide toward the user &# 39 ; s knee along the outer perimeter surface of the base . when the pressure on the cover is released , the suspension member 306 expands to its original shape . in one variant , the suspension member 306 is partially collapsible in order to provide adequate support and air space while collapsible enough to provide desired cushioning . in addition open areas 312 in suspension member 306 allow additional cushioning and support for the knee . similar to the embodiments described and depicted in fig3 and 4 , the contact and cooperation between cover or shell 308 and suspension member 306 provides a floating type suspension for the knee while the knee pad 300 is strapped to a user by straps 310 . referring to fig7 , depicted is yet another exemplary embodiment where knee pad assembly 400 is comprised of base 402 , which is a partial shell that is disposed behind the user &# 39 ; s leg , such as on the calf and behind the knee , and cap 404 . for example , straps or a neoprene back of leg wrap 402 may be substituted for the base and straps described in the preceding examples . the cover 404 is then placed over the knee cap and restrained in place via tension members 418 , such as cords , on either side of the base spanning between the base and the cover . this arrangement promotes good pressure management on the user &# 39 ; s knee and leg . the cover 404 is shown with a honeycomb pattern 420 in a soft rubber material in order to enhance traction and provide cushioning for the user . a further feature illustrated in this example is the ratchet system 422 disposed on top of cover structure 404 and functionally connected to the tension members 418 . via the ratchet system 422 , the wearer has the ability to tighten or loosen strap pressure ( snugness ) of the knee pad . a dial 424 or other user actuator is provided to allow the user to actuate the ratchet system . referring to fig8 through 15 , depicted are various means to removeably attach a pad to a base . fig8 provides a base 502 with one or more sleeves or pockets 504 to receive the tongues 508 of cover 506 . the front receiving surface 510 of the base 502 and back surface 511 of cover 506 , may further be provided with a respective portion of a hook and loop fastener 512 to further secure the cover to the base . the cover 506 shown in this example is a generally rectangular and slightly curved semi - rigid board comprising a polyethylene material . however , the board can vary in size , shape and material as appropriate for the particular usage . referring to fig9 , an exemplar knee pad assembly is shown with another cover fastening means . an elastic hem 522 is provided around the perimeter 524 of the cover receiving surface 526 of the base 520 . the perimeter 528 of the cover 530 includes corresponding protruding tabs or projections 532 that are sized and shaped for being received in the elastic hem 522 . hook and loop 527 may also be used as shown in fig8 , and can further be used with all embodiment disclosed herein . referring to fig1 , a further embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the base and cover is shown in fig9 . in addition , an overlay cover 534 is now provided . the overlay cover 534 is disposed over the cover 530 and then secured to the base with a plurality of reinforced strap loops 536 . the straps 538 used to secure the base to the knee region of the user are placed through the reinforced loops 536 of the overlay cover 534 to secure the cover and overlay in place . referring to fig1 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the cover or overlay 540 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 542 . the cords 542 can extend through the cover 540 for better securement . a tab 544 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 542 . the cover 540 is secured to the base 546 by inserting the tabs 544 into respective slots or pockets 548 in the base 546 . channels 550 in the outer perimeter surface 552 of the base 546 may be provided to further retain the bands in place . hook and loop fasteners 554 may further be provided on respective portions of the cover and base to further secure the cover to the base . fig1 illustrates a cord - lock means 562 for securing the cover 564 to the base 566 . raised corners 568 on the cover are inserted behind portions of the locking cord 570 . the locking cord or cords 570 are then tightened by pulling on cords 563 and retainer 562 is then used to maintain the tension in the retaining cord ( s ). fig1 through 15 illustrate other exemplar attachment embodiment means for a knee pad assembly . the cover or overlay 578 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 572 shown at the corners of the cover 578 . the cords can extend through the cover in a crossing pattern or “ x ” shape 574 for better securement , as shown in fig1 . a tab 576 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 572 . the cover 578 is secured to the base 580 by inserting the tabs 576 into respective slots or pockets 582 in the base at the corners thereof . the corner pockets may be raised to facilitate insertion and removal of the tabs . fig1 further illustrates that cover 578 may be used to secure pads used in previous embodiments to a base such as base 580 . note that the underlayment of pad 584 of fig1 includes a plurality of slots 586 for receiving the knee pad retaining straps 581 . the compressibility factor ( including material property and physical dimensions and shape ) of the collapsible or suspension members disclosed herein can be varied to accommodate different user weight ranges and to accommodate a user &# 39 ; s desired cushioning factor . the cover can be secured using a variety of means as discussed in this disclosure . alternatively , the cover may include straps that secure the assembly directly to the user &# 39 ; s knees , such as elastic cord or adjustable straps that extend behind the knee of the user . the collapsible or suspension members may comprise a wide variety of materials , including , springs , pen cell foam , closed cell foam , air bag , molded eva , soft 3d fabric ( spacer mesh ), a resilient honeycomb structure , rubber , or any combination of these or other materials . the cushioning factor can also be selected according to body weight or according to average time spent kneeling / hour . for example , body weight ranges of 80 to 150 lb , 150 to 225 lb , and over 225 lb ; kneeling 10 min ./ hour , 30 min ./ hour and 50 min ./ hour . however more or fewer ranges may be specified . features of the various embodiments discussed herein can be mixed and matched in any manner of additional embodiments that are all within the scope of the invention regardless of whether or not explicitly discussed herein . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments . it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure , such scope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products . moreover , features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed and matched ( even if such combination is not explicitly described herein ) without departing from the scope of the invention . for purposes of interpreting the claims for the present invention , it is expressly intended that the provisions of section 112 , sixth paragraph of 35 u . s . c . are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “ means for ” or “ step for ” are recited in a claim . | Is 'Human Necessities' the correct technical category for the patent? | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | 29cb279ae5091feff7900af86675823d0c754d39010e2cdda96f72879887d166 | 0.033203 | 0.000116 | 0.003372 | 0.00007 | 0.015869 | 0.000999 |
null | in the following descriptions , the present invention will be explained with reference to various example embodiments ; nevertheless , these example embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to any specific example , embodiment , environment , application , or particular implementation described herein . therefore , descriptions of these example embodiments are only provided for purpose of illustration rather than to limit the present invention . the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . referring to fig1 and fig2 , a knee pad assembly 100 is shown . the assembly generally comprises a base 102 and a removable cover 104 . the base 102 fastens to the user &# 39 ; s knee using fastening straps 106 , such as the ratcheting adjustable straps as shown in these figures with ratcheted fastener 109 . an upper and a lower strap are shown but more or fewer straps are within the scope of the invention . the base 102 presents a forward facing cover receiving portion 108 . the cover 104 is disposed over the forward facing portion 108 of base 102 as indicated in these figures and secured via attachment means , in this example via corner hooks 110 disposed at the corners of base 102 . the assembled knee pad 100 is shown in fig2 . the knee pad base can be configured in short or long versions as appropriate for the particular application and a user &# 39 ; s desired level of coverage . the cover is correspondingly sized . the cover may be formed from any suitable material , including rubber and plastic , and formed in any suitable shape . in addition , the cover may fully or partially comprise multirole materials such as leather , cloth , plastic , fiber glass , foam , rubber , carbon fiber , composites , metal or any other material that is designed for the end user &# 39 ; s specific job requirements . a wide variety of cover attachments means are within the scope of the invention . such means include , but are not limited to hooks , snaps , clips , hook and loop components ( e . g . velcro fasteners ) on respective portions of the base and cover , and combinations of two or more different attachment means . the user &# 39 ; s ability to change covers on the knee pad bases allows for a single pair of knee pads to be adapted to a wide variety of surface types . the ability to change covers also provides the user with the option to replace individual worn covers , wash soiled covers , and / or use job specific covers as needed , avoiding the need to purchase a replacement or additional set of knee pads . referring to fig3 and 4 , another example embodiment of a knee pad assembly 200 is shown . the base 202 is provided with one or more front facing suspension components 212 , such as rubber or foam pads . in this example embodiment , base 202 is slideably engaged with pad 204 by straps 214 that are integrated into the corners of pad 204 . straps 214 secure the knee pad assembly 200 to a user by wrapping straps 214 securely around the back of the users knee . it should also be noted that straps 214 could also be integrated with base 202 and slide through corresponding openings ( not shown ) in pad 204 to also achieve the floating suspension effect . cords may also be used instead of straps . while secured , the back surface of pad 204 engages the suspension member 212 of base 202 , and slides on guide rails 216 , allowing pad 204 to float on suspension member 212 and remain aligned via guide rails 216 , without being fixably connected to base 202 . this allows pad 204 to move in toward the knee and out away from the knee , depending on the pressure exerted on the front surface of pad 204 while in use . this provides cushioned suspension for the knee while the improved knee pad assembly is in use . the spring force of the compression component 212 may be adapted to a desired range of cushioning or compression based upon a user &# 39 ; s weight , and / or the conditions of use of the knee pad , and / or the length of time of intended use . preferably a material with an ild ( indention load deflection ) of between 45 and 100 may be used . urethane and other foams may also be used with densities of weights between 1 and 10 pounds per square foot of material . the outer cover 204 may comprise a semi - rigid or a hard plastic shell ( or similar material ) that will compress one or more of the suspension components 212 and distribute the force over the cover 204 . the cover 204 cooperates with a plurality of integrated straps 214 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 to facilitate slideable engagement , and uniform alignment , of the cover to the base . this example embodiment also illustrates a tension / release mechanism or feature . when kneeling , compression placed on the cap 204 would compress suspension components 212 and release strap tension on straps 214 and when standing , compression would be released and strap tension would be allowed to return . the purpose is to release strap tension on the back of the worker &# 39 ; s leg , nerves and blood vessels while the worker is kneeling , yet maintain security of the knee pad when the worker is standing or walking . the cap 204 , straps 214 , suspension components 212 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 cooperate to achieve this feature , as well as providing a uniform alignment of the cap 204 with the base 202 , and providing extended comfort to the user . referring to fig5 and 6 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly 300 is shown . the base 302 comprises a knee cup 304 and a suspension member 306 disposed on the outer front surface of the base . an outer cover or shell 308 is disposed over knee cup 304 and suspension member 306 by straps 310 . this arrangement allows force applied to the cover to compress the collapsible or suspension member towards the base to provide cushioning . the edges of the cover 308 slide toward the user &# 39 ; s knee along the outer perimeter surface of the base . when the pressure on the cover is released , the suspension member 306 expands to its original shape . in one variant , the suspension member 306 is partially collapsible in order to provide adequate support and air space while collapsible enough to provide desired cushioning . in addition open areas 312 in suspension member 306 allow additional cushioning and support for the knee . similar to the embodiments described and depicted in fig3 and 4 , the contact and cooperation between cover or shell 308 and suspension member 306 provides a floating type suspension for the knee while the knee pad 300 is strapped to a user by straps 310 . referring to fig7 , depicted is yet another exemplary embodiment where knee pad assembly 400 is comprised of base 402 , which is a partial shell that is disposed behind the user &# 39 ; s leg , such as on the calf and behind the knee , and cap 404 . for example , straps or a neoprene back of leg wrap 402 may be substituted for the base and straps described in the preceding examples . the cover 404 is then placed over the knee cap and restrained in place via tension members 418 , such as cords , on either side of the base spanning between the base and the cover . this arrangement promotes good pressure management on the user &# 39 ; s knee and leg . the cover 404 is shown with a honeycomb pattern 420 in a soft rubber material in order to enhance traction and provide cushioning for the user . a further feature illustrated in this example is the ratchet system 422 disposed on top of cover structure 404 and functionally connected to the tension members 418 . via the ratchet system 422 , the wearer has the ability to tighten or loosen strap pressure ( snugness ) of the knee pad . a dial 424 or other user actuator is provided to allow the user to actuate the ratchet system . referring to fig8 through 15 , depicted are various means to removeably attach a pad to a base . fig8 provides a base 502 with one or more sleeves or pockets 504 to receive the tongues 508 of cover 506 . the front receiving surface 510 of the base 502 and back surface 511 of cover 506 , may further be provided with a respective portion of a hook and loop fastener 512 to further secure the cover to the base . the cover 506 shown in this example is a generally rectangular and slightly curved semi - rigid board comprising a polyethylene material . however , the board can vary in size , shape and material as appropriate for the particular usage . referring to fig9 , an exemplar knee pad assembly is shown with another cover fastening means . an elastic hem 522 is provided around the perimeter 524 of the cover receiving surface 526 of the base 520 . the perimeter 528 of the cover 530 includes corresponding protruding tabs or projections 532 that are sized and shaped for being received in the elastic hem 522 . hook and loop 527 may also be used as shown in fig8 , and can further be used with all embodiment disclosed herein . referring to fig1 , a further embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the base and cover is shown in fig9 . in addition , an overlay cover 534 is now provided . the overlay cover 534 is disposed over the cover 530 and then secured to the base with a plurality of reinforced strap loops 536 . the straps 538 used to secure the base to the knee region of the user are placed through the reinforced loops 536 of the overlay cover 534 to secure the cover and overlay in place . referring to fig1 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the cover or overlay 540 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 542 . the cords 542 can extend through the cover 540 for better securement . a tab 544 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 542 . the cover 540 is secured to the base 546 by inserting the tabs 544 into respective slots or pockets 548 in the base 546 . channels 550 in the outer perimeter surface 552 of the base 546 may be provided to further retain the bands in place . hook and loop fasteners 554 may further be provided on respective portions of the cover and base to further secure the cover to the base . fig1 illustrates a cord - lock means 562 for securing the cover 564 to the base 566 . raised corners 568 on the cover are inserted behind portions of the locking cord 570 . the locking cord or cords 570 are then tightened by pulling on cords 563 and retainer 562 is then used to maintain the tension in the retaining cord ( s ). fig1 through 15 illustrate other exemplar attachment embodiment means for a knee pad assembly . the cover or overlay 578 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 572 shown at the corners of the cover 578 . the cords can extend through the cover in a crossing pattern or “ x ” shape 574 for better securement , as shown in fig1 . a tab 576 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 572 . the cover 578 is secured to the base 580 by inserting the tabs 576 into respective slots or pockets 582 in the base at the corners thereof . the corner pockets may be raised to facilitate insertion and removal of the tabs . fig1 further illustrates that cover 578 may be used to secure pads used in previous embodiments to a base such as base 580 . note that the underlayment of pad 584 of fig1 includes a plurality of slots 586 for receiving the knee pad retaining straps 581 . the compressibility factor ( including material property and physical dimensions and shape ) of the collapsible or suspension members disclosed herein can be varied to accommodate different user weight ranges and to accommodate a user &# 39 ; s desired cushioning factor . the cover can be secured using a variety of means as discussed in this disclosure . alternatively , the cover may include straps that secure the assembly directly to the user &# 39 ; s knees , such as elastic cord or adjustable straps that extend behind the knee of the user . the collapsible or suspension members may comprise a wide variety of materials , including , springs , pen cell foam , closed cell foam , air bag , molded eva , soft 3d fabric ( spacer mesh ), a resilient honeycomb structure , rubber , or any combination of these or other materials . the cushioning factor can also be selected according to body weight or according to average time spent kneeling / hour . for example , body weight ranges of 80 to 150 lb , 150 to 225 lb , and over 225 lb ; kneeling 10 min ./ hour , 30 min ./ hour and 50 min ./ hour . however more or fewer ranges may be specified . features of the various embodiments discussed herein can be mixed and matched in any manner of additional embodiments that are all within the scope of the invention regardless of whether or not explicitly discussed herein . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments . it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure , such scope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products . moreover , features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed and matched ( even if such combination is not explicitly described herein ) without departing from the scope of the invention . for purposes of interpreting the claims for the present invention , it is expressly intended that the provisions of section 112 , sixth paragraph of 35 u . s . c . are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “ means for ” or “ step for ” are recited in a claim . | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | 0.25 | 29cb279ae5091feff7900af86675823d0c754d39010e2cdda96f72879887d166 | 0.083984 | 0.038574 | 0.023315 | 0.013245 | 0.070801 | 0.041504 |
null | in the following descriptions , the present invention will be explained with reference to various example embodiments ; nevertheless , these example embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to any specific example , embodiment , environment , application , or particular implementation described herein . therefore , descriptions of these example embodiments are only provided for purpose of illustration rather than to limit the present invention . the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . referring to fig1 and fig2 , a knee pad assembly 100 is shown . the assembly generally comprises a base 102 and a removable cover 104 . the base 102 fastens to the user &# 39 ; s knee using fastening straps 106 , such as the ratcheting adjustable straps as shown in these figures with ratcheted fastener 109 . an upper and a lower strap are shown but more or fewer straps are within the scope of the invention . the base 102 presents a forward facing cover receiving portion 108 . the cover 104 is disposed over the forward facing portion 108 of base 102 as indicated in these figures and secured via attachment means , in this example via corner hooks 110 disposed at the corners of base 102 . the assembled knee pad 100 is shown in fig2 . the knee pad base can be configured in short or long versions as appropriate for the particular application and a user &# 39 ; s desired level of coverage . the cover is correspondingly sized . the cover may be formed from any suitable material , including rubber and plastic , and formed in any suitable shape . in addition , the cover may fully or partially comprise multirole materials such as leather , cloth , plastic , fiber glass , foam , rubber , carbon fiber , composites , metal or any other material that is designed for the end user &# 39 ; s specific job requirements . a wide variety of cover attachments means are within the scope of the invention . such means include , but are not limited to hooks , snaps , clips , hook and loop components ( e . g . velcro fasteners ) on respective portions of the base and cover , and combinations of two or more different attachment means . the user &# 39 ; s ability to change covers on the knee pad bases allows for a single pair of knee pads to be adapted to a wide variety of surface types . the ability to change covers also provides the user with the option to replace individual worn covers , wash soiled covers , and / or use job specific covers as needed , avoiding the need to purchase a replacement or additional set of knee pads . referring to fig3 and 4 , another example embodiment of a knee pad assembly 200 is shown . the base 202 is provided with one or more front facing suspension components 212 , such as rubber or foam pads . in this example embodiment , base 202 is slideably engaged with pad 204 by straps 214 that are integrated into the corners of pad 204 . straps 214 secure the knee pad assembly 200 to a user by wrapping straps 214 securely around the back of the users knee . it should also be noted that straps 214 could also be integrated with base 202 and slide through corresponding openings ( not shown ) in pad 204 to also achieve the floating suspension effect . cords may also be used instead of straps . while secured , the back surface of pad 204 engages the suspension member 212 of base 202 , and slides on guide rails 216 , allowing pad 204 to float on suspension member 212 and remain aligned via guide rails 216 , without being fixably connected to base 202 . this allows pad 204 to move in toward the knee and out away from the knee , depending on the pressure exerted on the front surface of pad 204 while in use . this provides cushioned suspension for the knee while the improved knee pad assembly is in use . the spring force of the compression component 212 may be adapted to a desired range of cushioning or compression based upon a user &# 39 ; s weight , and / or the conditions of use of the knee pad , and / or the length of time of intended use . preferably a material with an ild ( indention load deflection ) of between 45 and 100 may be used . urethane and other foams may also be used with densities of weights between 1 and 10 pounds per square foot of material . the outer cover 204 may comprise a semi - rigid or a hard plastic shell ( or similar material ) that will compress one or more of the suspension components 212 and distribute the force over the cover 204 . the cover 204 cooperates with a plurality of integrated straps 214 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 to facilitate slideable engagement , and uniform alignment , of the cover to the base . this example embodiment also illustrates a tension / release mechanism or feature . when kneeling , compression placed on the cap 204 would compress suspension components 212 and release strap tension on straps 214 and when standing , compression would be released and strap tension would be allowed to return . the purpose is to release strap tension on the back of the worker &# 39 ; s leg , nerves and blood vessels while the worker is kneeling , yet maintain security of the knee pad when the worker is standing or walking . the cap 204 , straps 214 , suspension components 212 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 cooperate to achieve this feature , as well as providing a uniform alignment of the cap 204 with the base 202 , and providing extended comfort to the user . referring to fig5 and 6 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly 300 is shown . the base 302 comprises a knee cup 304 and a suspension member 306 disposed on the outer front surface of the base . an outer cover or shell 308 is disposed over knee cup 304 and suspension member 306 by straps 310 . this arrangement allows force applied to the cover to compress the collapsible or suspension member towards the base to provide cushioning . the edges of the cover 308 slide toward the user &# 39 ; s knee along the outer perimeter surface of the base . when the pressure on the cover is released , the suspension member 306 expands to its original shape . in one variant , the suspension member 306 is partially collapsible in order to provide adequate support and air space while collapsible enough to provide desired cushioning . in addition open areas 312 in suspension member 306 allow additional cushioning and support for the knee . similar to the embodiments described and depicted in fig3 and 4 , the contact and cooperation between cover or shell 308 and suspension member 306 provides a floating type suspension for the knee while the knee pad 300 is strapped to a user by straps 310 . referring to fig7 , depicted is yet another exemplary embodiment where knee pad assembly 400 is comprised of base 402 , which is a partial shell that is disposed behind the user &# 39 ; s leg , such as on the calf and behind the knee , and cap 404 . for example , straps or a neoprene back of leg wrap 402 may be substituted for the base and straps described in the preceding examples . the cover 404 is then placed over the knee cap and restrained in place via tension members 418 , such as cords , on either side of the base spanning between the base and the cover . this arrangement promotes good pressure management on the user &# 39 ; s knee and leg . the cover 404 is shown with a honeycomb pattern 420 in a soft rubber material in order to enhance traction and provide cushioning for the user . a further feature illustrated in this example is the ratchet system 422 disposed on top of cover structure 404 and functionally connected to the tension members 418 . via the ratchet system 422 , the wearer has the ability to tighten or loosen strap pressure ( snugness ) of the knee pad . a dial 424 or other user actuator is provided to allow the user to actuate the ratchet system . referring to fig8 through 15 , depicted are various means to removeably attach a pad to a base . fig8 provides a base 502 with one or more sleeves or pockets 504 to receive the tongues 508 of cover 506 . the front receiving surface 510 of the base 502 and back surface 511 of cover 506 , may further be provided with a respective portion of a hook and loop fastener 512 to further secure the cover to the base . the cover 506 shown in this example is a generally rectangular and slightly curved semi - rigid board comprising a polyethylene material . however , the board can vary in size , shape and material as appropriate for the particular usage . referring to fig9 , an exemplar knee pad assembly is shown with another cover fastening means . an elastic hem 522 is provided around the perimeter 524 of the cover receiving surface 526 of the base 520 . the perimeter 528 of the cover 530 includes corresponding protruding tabs or projections 532 that are sized and shaped for being received in the elastic hem 522 . hook and loop 527 may also be used as shown in fig8 , and can further be used with all embodiment disclosed herein . referring to fig1 , a further embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the base and cover is shown in fig9 . in addition , an overlay cover 534 is now provided . the overlay cover 534 is disposed over the cover 530 and then secured to the base with a plurality of reinforced strap loops 536 . the straps 538 used to secure the base to the knee region of the user are placed through the reinforced loops 536 of the overlay cover 534 to secure the cover and overlay in place . referring to fig1 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the cover or overlay 540 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 542 . the cords 542 can extend through the cover 540 for better securement . a tab 544 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 542 . the cover 540 is secured to the base 546 by inserting the tabs 544 into respective slots or pockets 548 in the base 546 . channels 550 in the outer perimeter surface 552 of the base 546 may be provided to further retain the bands in place . hook and loop fasteners 554 may further be provided on respective portions of the cover and base to further secure the cover to the base . fig1 illustrates a cord - lock means 562 for securing the cover 564 to the base 566 . raised corners 568 on the cover are inserted behind portions of the locking cord 570 . the locking cord or cords 570 are then tightened by pulling on cords 563 and retainer 562 is then used to maintain the tension in the retaining cord ( s ). fig1 through 15 illustrate other exemplar attachment embodiment means for a knee pad assembly . the cover or overlay 578 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 572 shown at the corners of the cover 578 . the cords can extend through the cover in a crossing pattern or “ x ” shape 574 for better securement , as shown in fig1 . a tab 576 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 572 . the cover 578 is secured to the base 580 by inserting the tabs 576 into respective slots or pockets 582 in the base at the corners thereof . the corner pockets may be raised to facilitate insertion and removal of the tabs . fig1 further illustrates that cover 578 may be used to secure pads used in previous embodiments to a base such as base 580 . note that the underlayment of pad 584 of fig1 includes a plurality of slots 586 for receiving the knee pad retaining straps 581 . the compressibility factor ( including material property and physical dimensions and shape ) of the collapsible or suspension members disclosed herein can be varied to accommodate different user weight ranges and to accommodate a user &# 39 ; s desired cushioning factor . the cover can be secured using a variety of means as discussed in this disclosure . alternatively , the cover may include straps that secure the assembly directly to the user &# 39 ; s knees , such as elastic cord or adjustable straps that extend behind the knee of the user . the collapsible or suspension members may comprise a wide variety of materials , including , springs , pen cell foam , closed cell foam , air bag , molded eva , soft 3d fabric ( spacer mesh ), a resilient honeycomb structure , rubber , or any combination of these or other materials . the cushioning factor can also be selected according to body weight or according to average time spent kneeling / hour . for example , body weight ranges of 80 to 150 lb , 150 to 225 lb , and over 225 lb ; kneeling 10 min ./ hour , 30 min ./ hour and 50 min ./ hour . however more or fewer ranges may be specified . features of the various embodiments discussed herein can be mixed and matched in any manner of additional embodiments that are all within the scope of the invention regardless of whether or not explicitly discussed herein . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments . it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure , such scope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products . moreover , features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed and matched ( even if such combination is not explicitly described herein ) without departing from the scope of the invention . for purposes of interpreting the claims for the present invention , it is expressly intended that the provisions of section 112 , sixth paragraph of 35 u . s . c . are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “ means for ” or “ step for ” are recited in a claim . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | Is 'Electricity' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 29cb279ae5091feff7900af86675823d0c754d39010e2cdda96f72879887d166 | 0.132813 | 0.000116 | 0.075684 | 0.00008 | 0.133789 | 0.000085 |
null | in the following descriptions , the present invention will be explained with reference to various example embodiments ; nevertheless , these example embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to any specific example , embodiment , environment , application , or particular implementation described herein . therefore , descriptions of these example embodiments are only provided for purpose of illustration rather than to limit the present invention . the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . referring to fig1 and fig2 , a knee pad assembly 100 is shown . the assembly generally comprises a base 102 and a removable cover 104 . the base 102 fastens to the user &# 39 ; s knee using fastening straps 106 , such as the ratcheting adjustable straps as shown in these figures with ratcheted fastener 109 . an upper and a lower strap are shown but more or fewer straps are within the scope of the invention . the base 102 presents a forward facing cover receiving portion 108 . the cover 104 is disposed over the forward facing portion 108 of base 102 as indicated in these figures and secured via attachment means , in this example via corner hooks 110 disposed at the corners of base 102 . the assembled knee pad 100 is shown in fig2 . the knee pad base can be configured in short or long versions as appropriate for the particular application and a user &# 39 ; s desired level of coverage . the cover is correspondingly sized . the cover may be formed from any suitable material , including rubber and plastic , and formed in any suitable shape . in addition , the cover may fully or partially comprise multirole materials such as leather , cloth , plastic , fiber glass , foam , rubber , carbon fiber , composites , metal or any other material that is designed for the end user &# 39 ; s specific job requirements . a wide variety of cover attachments means are within the scope of the invention . such means include , but are not limited to hooks , snaps , clips , hook and loop components ( e . g . velcro fasteners ) on respective portions of the base and cover , and combinations of two or more different attachment means . the user &# 39 ; s ability to change covers on the knee pad bases allows for a single pair of knee pads to be adapted to a wide variety of surface types . the ability to change covers also provides the user with the option to replace individual worn covers , wash soiled covers , and / or use job specific covers as needed , avoiding the need to purchase a replacement or additional set of knee pads . referring to fig3 and 4 , another example embodiment of a knee pad assembly 200 is shown . the base 202 is provided with one or more front facing suspension components 212 , such as rubber or foam pads . in this example embodiment , base 202 is slideably engaged with pad 204 by straps 214 that are integrated into the corners of pad 204 . straps 214 secure the knee pad assembly 200 to a user by wrapping straps 214 securely around the back of the users knee . it should also be noted that straps 214 could also be integrated with base 202 and slide through corresponding openings ( not shown ) in pad 204 to also achieve the floating suspension effect . cords may also be used instead of straps . while secured , the back surface of pad 204 engages the suspension member 212 of base 202 , and slides on guide rails 216 , allowing pad 204 to float on suspension member 212 and remain aligned via guide rails 216 , without being fixably connected to base 202 . this allows pad 204 to move in toward the knee and out away from the knee , depending on the pressure exerted on the front surface of pad 204 while in use . this provides cushioned suspension for the knee while the improved knee pad assembly is in use . the spring force of the compression component 212 may be adapted to a desired range of cushioning or compression based upon a user &# 39 ; s weight , and / or the conditions of use of the knee pad , and / or the length of time of intended use . preferably a material with an ild ( indention load deflection ) of between 45 and 100 may be used . urethane and other foams may also be used with densities of weights between 1 and 10 pounds per square foot of material . the outer cover 204 may comprise a semi - rigid or a hard plastic shell ( or similar material ) that will compress one or more of the suspension components 212 and distribute the force over the cover 204 . the cover 204 cooperates with a plurality of integrated straps 214 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 to facilitate slideable engagement , and uniform alignment , of the cover to the base . this example embodiment also illustrates a tension / release mechanism or feature . when kneeling , compression placed on the cap 204 would compress suspension components 212 and release strap tension on straps 214 and when standing , compression would be released and strap tension would be allowed to return . the purpose is to release strap tension on the back of the worker &# 39 ; s leg , nerves and blood vessels while the worker is kneeling , yet maintain security of the knee pad when the worker is standing or walking . the cap 204 , straps 214 , suspension components 212 , guide rails 216 and guide plate 218 cooperate to achieve this feature , as well as providing a uniform alignment of the cap 204 with the base 202 , and providing extended comfort to the user . referring to fig5 and 6 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly 300 is shown . the base 302 comprises a knee cup 304 and a suspension member 306 disposed on the outer front surface of the base . an outer cover or shell 308 is disposed over knee cup 304 and suspension member 306 by straps 310 . this arrangement allows force applied to the cover to compress the collapsible or suspension member towards the base to provide cushioning . the edges of the cover 308 slide toward the user &# 39 ; s knee along the outer perimeter surface of the base . when the pressure on the cover is released , the suspension member 306 expands to its original shape . in one variant , the suspension member 306 is partially collapsible in order to provide adequate support and air space while collapsible enough to provide desired cushioning . in addition open areas 312 in suspension member 306 allow additional cushioning and support for the knee . similar to the embodiments described and depicted in fig3 and 4 , the contact and cooperation between cover or shell 308 and suspension member 306 provides a floating type suspension for the knee while the knee pad 300 is strapped to a user by straps 310 . referring to fig7 , depicted is yet another exemplary embodiment where knee pad assembly 400 is comprised of base 402 , which is a partial shell that is disposed behind the user &# 39 ; s leg , such as on the calf and behind the knee , and cap 404 . for example , straps or a neoprene back of leg wrap 402 may be substituted for the base and straps described in the preceding examples . the cover 404 is then placed over the knee cap and restrained in place via tension members 418 , such as cords , on either side of the base spanning between the base and the cover . this arrangement promotes good pressure management on the user &# 39 ; s knee and leg . the cover 404 is shown with a honeycomb pattern 420 in a soft rubber material in order to enhance traction and provide cushioning for the user . a further feature illustrated in this example is the ratchet system 422 disposed on top of cover structure 404 and functionally connected to the tension members 418 . via the ratchet system 422 , the wearer has the ability to tighten or loosen strap pressure ( snugness ) of the knee pad . a dial 424 or other user actuator is provided to allow the user to actuate the ratchet system . referring to fig8 through 15 , depicted are various means to removeably attach a pad to a base . fig8 provides a base 502 with one or more sleeves or pockets 504 to receive the tongues 508 of cover 506 . the front receiving surface 510 of the base 502 and back surface 511 of cover 506 , may further be provided with a respective portion of a hook and loop fastener 512 to further secure the cover to the base . the cover 506 shown in this example is a generally rectangular and slightly curved semi - rigid board comprising a polyethylene material . however , the board can vary in size , shape and material as appropriate for the particular usage . referring to fig9 , an exemplar knee pad assembly is shown with another cover fastening means . an elastic hem 522 is provided around the perimeter 524 of the cover receiving surface 526 of the base 520 . the perimeter 528 of the cover 530 includes corresponding protruding tabs or projections 532 that are sized and shaped for being received in the elastic hem 522 . hook and loop 527 may also be used as shown in fig8 , and can further be used with all embodiment disclosed herein . referring to fig1 , a further embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the base and cover is shown in fig9 . in addition , an overlay cover 534 is now provided . the overlay cover 534 is disposed over the cover 530 and then secured to the base with a plurality of reinforced strap loops 536 . the straps 538 used to secure the base to the knee region of the user are placed through the reinforced loops 536 of the overlay cover 534 to secure the cover and overlay in place . referring to fig1 , another embodiment of a knee pad assembly is shown . the cover or overlay 540 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 542 . the cords 542 can extend through the cover 540 for better securement . a tab 544 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 542 . the cover 540 is secured to the base 546 by inserting the tabs 544 into respective slots or pockets 548 in the base 546 . channels 550 in the outer perimeter surface 552 of the base 546 may be provided to further retain the bands in place . hook and loop fasteners 554 may further be provided on respective portions of the cover and base to further secure the cover to the base . fig1 illustrates a cord - lock means 562 for securing the cover 564 to the base 566 . raised corners 568 on the cover are inserted behind portions of the locking cord 570 . the locking cord or cords 570 are then tightened by pulling on cords 563 and retainer 562 is then used to maintain the tension in the retaining cord ( s ). fig1 through 15 illustrate other exemplar attachment embodiment means for a knee pad assembly . the cover or overlay 578 includes a plurality of elastic bands or cords 572 shown at the corners of the cover 578 . the cords can extend through the cover in a crossing pattern or “ x ” shape 574 for better securement , as shown in fig1 . a tab 576 is provided at an approximate mid - point of each band 572 . the cover 578 is secured to the base 580 by inserting the tabs 576 into respective slots or pockets 582 in the base at the corners thereof . the corner pockets may be raised to facilitate insertion and removal of the tabs . fig1 further illustrates that cover 578 may be used to secure pads used in previous embodiments to a base such as base 580 . note that the underlayment of pad 584 of fig1 includes a plurality of slots 586 for receiving the knee pad retaining straps 581 . the compressibility factor ( including material property and physical dimensions and shape ) of the collapsible or suspension members disclosed herein can be varied to accommodate different user weight ranges and to accommodate a user &# 39 ; s desired cushioning factor . the cover can be secured using a variety of means as discussed in this disclosure . alternatively , the cover may include straps that secure the assembly directly to the user &# 39 ; s knees , such as elastic cord or adjustable straps that extend behind the knee of the user . the collapsible or suspension members may comprise a wide variety of materials , including , springs , pen cell foam , closed cell foam , air bag , molded eva , soft 3d fabric ( spacer mesh ), a resilient honeycomb structure , rubber , or any combination of these or other materials . the cushioning factor can also be selected according to body weight or according to average time spent kneeling / hour . for example , body weight ranges of 80 to 150 lb , 150 to 225 lb , and over 225 lb ; kneeling 10 min ./ hour , 30 min ./ hour and 50 min ./ hour . however more or fewer ranges may be specified . features of the various embodiments discussed herein can be mixed and matched in any manner of additional embodiments that are all within the scope of the invention regardless of whether or not explicitly discussed herein . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments . it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure , such scope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products . moreover , features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed and matched ( even if such combination is not explicitly described herein ) without departing from the scope of the invention . for purposes of interpreting the claims for the present invention , it is expressly intended that the provisions of section 112 , sixth paragraph of 35 u . s . c . are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “ means for ” or “ step for ” are recited in a claim . | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | 29cb279ae5091feff7900af86675823d0c754d39010e2cdda96f72879887d166 | 0.08252 | 0.07373 | 0.023315 | 0.009705 | 0.070801 | 0.174805 |
null | referring to the drawings wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views , fig1 shows an automatic paint tinting machine 10 . it should be noted that the present invention is equally applicable to the precise mixing of any other type of fluid . a paint can 20 contains base paint ready for tinting with pigment , which is delivered by the operation of the tinting machine 10 . the tinting machine 10 may also be used to deliver colorants to an empty container . a frame 12 houses the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a movable mounting plate 14 is connected to the frame 12 . a microprocessor - based computer 16 controls several aspects of the delivery of pigment which will likewise be discussed in greater detail below . a sight 22 , which is preferably formed as a hole in mounting plate 14 , is positioned above the paint can 20 . the primary function of the sight 22 is to permit the operator of the machine 10 to have a reference point for placement of the paint can 20 so that pigment is reliably delivered thereto . shelf 24 is preferably designed to be of sufficient size and strength to accommodate at least a standard one - gallon paint can and preferably as wide a range of paint containers as are reasonably likely to be used in conjunction with the machine 10 , and in fact may be adjustable to accommodate containers as necessary . in the preferred embodiment , the operator places the paint can 20 on the shelf 24 and ensures that the mouth of the paint can 20 or , in some embodiments , a bunghole in the can lid , is aligned with the sight 22 . fig2 is a schematic view of the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a plurality of individual colorant sub - systems are provided , one for each colorant in the paint manufacturer &# 39 ; s color system . in the particular example shown , first and second colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b are shown for the purposes of illustration however , any number of colorant sub - systems desired may be used , and in practical application the tinting systems in common use by most paint manufacturers include several colorants , for example twelve . it should also be noted that the base paint has its own color characteristics . it therefore can be treated in the same manner as a “ colorant ” and the tinting machine 10 may be provided with a separate colorant sub - system 26 for dispensing the base paint . each of the colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b includes a colorant reservoir 28 a , 28 b which are connected to respective colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b by supply lines 32 a , 32 b . motorized stirrers 34 a and 34 b may be provided to keep the colorants adequately mixed . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are in turn connected to corresponding colorant valves 36 a and 36 b by pump discharge lines 38 a , 38 b . each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b is a three - way type of valve which directs colorant received from the respective colorant pump 30 a , 30 b either back to the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through return lines 40 a , 40 b , or out through dispensing lines 42 a , 42 b and into a paint can 20 , depending on how the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are set . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are arranged to be operated remotely , for example by providing individual solenoids of a known type ( not shown ) connected to each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b . owing to the method of operation of the present system , which is explained in more detail below , no particular type of pump is required to move the colorants . any pump which will create a steady flow of the colorants through the piping loop from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the respective colorant valve 36 a or 36 b may be used . therefore , both positive - displacement and non - positive - displacement pumps are appropriate . furthermore , the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b could be eliminated entirely by providing means such as inert gas or compressed air to pressurize the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b may be operated in various ways . each colorant pump 30 a , 30 b may be driven by its own electric motor . however , preferably to minimize the number of components used , all of the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are driven by a single prime mover through a mechanical drive train using belts , gears , shafts , or a combination thereof . the illustrated example in fig2 shows an electric motor 44 controlled by a variable - speed ac drive of a known type . the motor 44 in turn drives the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b through a belt and pulley system 46 . the ac drive may include means for outputting a motor speed signal . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are connected to a control system 48 which in the illustrated example includes a programmable logic controller ( plc ) 50 of a known type and a computer 52 of a known type , such as a pc - compatible computer , operating in concert . the plc 50 operates the electric motor 44 ( through the ac drive ) and colorant valves 36 a , 36 b based on commands received from the computer 52 . the plc 50 may be programmed to execute a series of steps based on relatively simple high - level commands from the computer 52 . fig3 a and 3b depict the steps involved in tinting a container of paint . the manner in which of these steps are executed may vary . for example , each step may be individually triggered by a control software program running on the computer 52 . alternatively , the control software of the computer 52 may simply provide an indication of the required colorant volumes to the plc , in which case the plc 50 would be programmed to execute the detailed steps of the tinting process . the process begins at block 54 . the user inputs into the computer 52 the desired final color and quantity of paint to be tinted . at block 56 , the control software refers to a stored “ formula ” which describes the correct quantity of each colorant required to produce the desired color for a given volume of tint base . typically , colorants are mixed by volume , but mass may also be used as a measure . the control system 48 then determines in block 58 the proper duration of flow or “ dispense times ” tn = t 1 . . . tmax for each colorant required by using a stored calibration which correlates the quantity of colorant for each unit time at a specific flowrate . this calibration may also allow for time delays in the operation of the electromechanical portions of the system . fig4 shows a graphical example of a chart representing a stored calibration . an equivalent numerical look - up table or other data format may also be used for the same purpose , or a curve fit equation could be used to calculate the dispense time for each colorant . not all of the colorants are required for every chosen color . for example , a particular color may require only four colorants out of twelve available colorants . the control system 48 then verifies that the correct size container is in place at block 60 . once all the initial conditions are satisfied , the user provides a “ dispense ” command . the control system 48 then causes the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b to move to , or to remain in , the recirculation ( or “ closed ”) position at block 62 and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to begin running at a desired speed at block 64 . when the colorant pumps are verified to be operating at the correct rpm by monitoring the speed signal from the ac drive ( see block 66 ), this means that steady - state recirculation of the colorant from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b and back to the colorant reservoirs 36 a , 36 b is confirmed . at block 68 , a time value “ t ” is set equal to zero and the required dispensing valves v 1 . . . vmax are opened ( block 70 ). the time value t may be measured by an internal clock of the computer 52 or the plc 50 . alternatively , a separate timing chip may be provided . continuing on fig3 b , at block 72 , the time t is incremented by the desired amount . the smallest time interval of the system is limited only by the accuracy of the clock used , and may be on the order of microseconds . a count value “ n ” corresponding to the colorant number is set equal to 1 at block 74 . at block 76 , t is checked to determine if it equals the value “ tn ” for the first colorant . if not , n is incremented to n + 1 at block 78 . at block 80 , the value n is checked to determine if it is greater than the maximum value nmax . if not , the process returns to block 76 where the test is repeated to determine if time “ tn ” for the subsequent colorant has been reached . if at block 76 , the time tn has been reached , then the corresponding colorant valve “ vn ” is closed ( block 82 ) and the value of n is again incremented ( block 78 ). the cycle through blocks 76 through 82 is subsequently repeated until all of the required colorants n 1 through nmax are checked . once all the colorants have been checked at the initial time increment , the test at block 80 will indicate that n is greater than nmax . if this the case , then the system checks at block 84 to determine if all of the colorant valves have been closed . if this is not the case , then the system proceeds to block 72 where the time t is incremented . the process then proceeds to block 74 where n is reset equal to 1 and the loop of blocks 76 through 82 is repeated . if at block 84 all colorant valves have been closed , then the process proceeds to block 86 where the colorant pumps are stopped . the process is thus finished , as indicated at block 88 . the above - noted steps are merely a representative example of how a colorant flow may be measured using time - based metering , and they may be varied as need to suit an individual application . in particular , the step of recirculating the colorants may be eliminated under certain circumstances . for example , if a liquid dye were to be used , then the recirculation step would be eliminated because there would be no need to keep a pigment in suspension . in that case , the calibration chart would be modified to reflect the unsteady nature of the initial colorant flow after the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are opened . the foregoing has described a fluid tinting apparatus and method . while specific embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereto can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation . | Should this patent be classified under 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | 06e24ab47dbbd61d7d428abb46afb8f60b0d8e320adf5b8181398519babe3347 | 0.012024 | 0.007111 | 0.011658 | 0.000109 | 0.036133 | 0.009399 |
null | referring to the drawings wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views , fig1 shows an automatic paint tinting machine 10 . it should be noted that the present invention is equally applicable to the precise mixing of any other type of fluid . a paint can 20 contains base paint ready for tinting with pigment , which is delivered by the operation of the tinting machine 10 . the tinting machine 10 may also be used to deliver colorants to an empty container . a frame 12 houses the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a movable mounting plate 14 is connected to the frame 12 . a microprocessor - based computer 16 controls several aspects of the delivery of pigment which will likewise be discussed in greater detail below . a sight 22 , which is preferably formed as a hole in mounting plate 14 , is positioned above the paint can 20 . the primary function of the sight 22 is to permit the operator of the machine 10 to have a reference point for placement of the paint can 20 so that pigment is reliably delivered thereto . shelf 24 is preferably designed to be of sufficient size and strength to accommodate at least a standard one - gallon paint can and preferably as wide a range of paint containers as are reasonably likely to be used in conjunction with the machine 10 , and in fact may be adjustable to accommodate containers as necessary . in the preferred embodiment , the operator places the paint can 20 on the shelf 24 and ensures that the mouth of the paint can 20 or , in some embodiments , a bunghole in the can lid , is aligned with the sight 22 . fig2 is a schematic view of the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a plurality of individual colorant sub - systems are provided , one for each colorant in the paint manufacturer &# 39 ; s color system . in the particular example shown , first and second colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b are shown for the purposes of illustration however , any number of colorant sub - systems desired may be used , and in practical application the tinting systems in common use by most paint manufacturers include several colorants , for example twelve . it should also be noted that the base paint has its own color characteristics . it therefore can be treated in the same manner as a “ colorant ” and the tinting machine 10 may be provided with a separate colorant sub - system 26 for dispensing the base paint . each of the colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b includes a colorant reservoir 28 a , 28 b which are connected to respective colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b by supply lines 32 a , 32 b . motorized stirrers 34 a and 34 b may be provided to keep the colorants adequately mixed . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are in turn connected to corresponding colorant valves 36 a and 36 b by pump discharge lines 38 a , 38 b . each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b is a three - way type of valve which directs colorant received from the respective colorant pump 30 a , 30 b either back to the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through return lines 40 a , 40 b , or out through dispensing lines 42 a , 42 b and into a paint can 20 , depending on how the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are set . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are arranged to be operated remotely , for example by providing individual solenoids of a known type ( not shown ) connected to each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b . owing to the method of operation of the present system , which is explained in more detail below , no particular type of pump is required to move the colorants . any pump which will create a steady flow of the colorants through the piping loop from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the respective colorant valve 36 a or 36 b may be used . therefore , both positive - displacement and non - positive - displacement pumps are appropriate . furthermore , the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b could be eliminated entirely by providing means such as inert gas or compressed air to pressurize the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b may be operated in various ways . each colorant pump 30 a , 30 b may be driven by its own electric motor . however , preferably to minimize the number of components used , all of the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are driven by a single prime mover through a mechanical drive train using belts , gears , shafts , or a combination thereof . the illustrated example in fig2 shows an electric motor 44 controlled by a variable - speed ac drive of a known type . the motor 44 in turn drives the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b through a belt and pulley system 46 . the ac drive may include means for outputting a motor speed signal . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are connected to a control system 48 which in the illustrated example includes a programmable logic controller ( plc ) 50 of a known type and a computer 52 of a known type , such as a pc - compatible computer , operating in concert . the plc 50 operates the electric motor 44 ( through the ac drive ) and colorant valves 36 a , 36 b based on commands received from the computer 52 . the plc 50 may be programmed to execute a series of steps based on relatively simple high - level commands from the computer 52 . fig3 a and 3b depict the steps involved in tinting a container of paint . the manner in which of these steps are executed may vary . for example , each step may be individually triggered by a control software program running on the computer 52 . alternatively , the control software of the computer 52 may simply provide an indication of the required colorant volumes to the plc , in which case the plc 50 would be programmed to execute the detailed steps of the tinting process . the process begins at block 54 . the user inputs into the computer 52 the desired final color and quantity of paint to be tinted . at block 56 , the control software refers to a stored “ formula ” which describes the correct quantity of each colorant required to produce the desired color for a given volume of tint base . typically , colorants are mixed by volume , but mass may also be used as a measure . the control system 48 then determines in block 58 the proper duration of flow or “ dispense times ” tn = t 1 . . . tmax for each colorant required by using a stored calibration which correlates the quantity of colorant for each unit time at a specific flowrate . this calibration may also allow for time delays in the operation of the electromechanical portions of the system . fig4 shows a graphical example of a chart representing a stored calibration . an equivalent numerical look - up table or other data format may also be used for the same purpose , or a curve fit equation could be used to calculate the dispense time for each colorant . not all of the colorants are required for every chosen color . for example , a particular color may require only four colorants out of twelve available colorants . the control system 48 then verifies that the correct size container is in place at block 60 . once all the initial conditions are satisfied , the user provides a “ dispense ” command . the control system 48 then causes the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b to move to , or to remain in , the recirculation ( or “ closed ”) position at block 62 and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to begin running at a desired speed at block 64 . when the colorant pumps are verified to be operating at the correct rpm by monitoring the speed signal from the ac drive ( see block 66 ), this means that steady - state recirculation of the colorant from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b and back to the colorant reservoirs 36 a , 36 b is confirmed . at block 68 , a time value “ t ” is set equal to zero and the required dispensing valves v 1 . . . vmax are opened ( block 70 ). the time value t may be measured by an internal clock of the computer 52 or the plc 50 . alternatively , a separate timing chip may be provided . continuing on fig3 b , at block 72 , the time t is incremented by the desired amount . the smallest time interval of the system is limited only by the accuracy of the clock used , and may be on the order of microseconds . a count value “ n ” corresponding to the colorant number is set equal to 1 at block 74 . at block 76 , t is checked to determine if it equals the value “ tn ” for the first colorant . if not , n is incremented to n + 1 at block 78 . at block 80 , the value n is checked to determine if it is greater than the maximum value nmax . if not , the process returns to block 76 where the test is repeated to determine if time “ tn ” for the subsequent colorant has been reached . if at block 76 , the time tn has been reached , then the corresponding colorant valve “ vn ” is closed ( block 82 ) and the value of n is again incremented ( block 78 ). the cycle through blocks 76 through 82 is subsequently repeated until all of the required colorants n 1 through nmax are checked . once all the colorants have been checked at the initial time increment , the test at block 80 will indicate that n is greater than nmax . if this the case , then the system checks at block 84 to determine if all of the colorant valves have been closed . if this is not the case , then the system proceeds to block 72 where the time t is incremented . the process then proceeds to block 74 where n is reset equal to 1 and the loop of blocks 76 through 82 is repeated . if at block 84 all colorant valves have been closed , then the process proceeds to block 86 where the colorant pumps are stopped . the process is thus finished , as indicated at block 88 . the above - noted steps are merely a representative example of how a colorant flow may be measured using time - based metering , and they may be varied as need to suit an individual application . in particular , the step of recirculating the colorants may be eliminated under certain circumstances . for example , if a liquid dye were to be used , then the recirculation step would be eliminated because there would be no need to keep a pigment in suspension . in that case , the calibration chart would be modified to reflect the unsteady nature of the initial colorant flow after the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are opened . the foregoing has described a fluid tinting apparatus and method . while specific embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereto can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation . | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | 06e24ab47dbbd61d7d428abb46afb8f60b0d8e320adf5b8181398519babe3347 | 0.026001 | 0.106934 | 0.02063 | 0.016357 | 0.042725 | 0.034668 |
null | referring to the drawings wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views , fig1 shows an automatic paint tinting machine 10 . it should be noted that the present invention is equally applicable to the precise mixing of any other type of fluid . a paint can 20 contains base paint ready for tinting with pigment , which is delivered by the operation of the tinting machine 10 . the tinting machine 10 may also be used to deliver colorants to an empty container . a frame 12 houses the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a movable mounting plate 14 is connected to the frame 12 . a microprocessor - based computer 16 controls several aspects of the delivery of pigment which will likewise be discussed in greater detail below . a sight 22 , which is preferably formed as a hole in mounting plate 14 , is positioned above the paint can 20 . the primary function of the sight 22 is to permit the operator of the machine 10 to have a reference point for placement of the paint can 20 so that pigment is reliably delivered thereto . shelf 24 is preferably designed to be of sufficient size and strength to accommodate at least a standard one - gallon paint can and preferably as wide a range of paint containers as are reasonably likely to be used in conjunction with the machine 10 , and in fact may be adjustable to accommodate containers as necessary . in the preferred embodiment , the operator places the paint can 20 on the shelf 24 and ensures that the mouth of the paint can 20 or , in some embodiments , a bunghole in the can lid , is aligned with the sight 22 . fig2 is a schematic view of the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a plurality of individual colorant sub - systems are provided , one for each colorant in the paint manufacturer &# 39 ; s color system . in the particular example shown , first and second colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b are shown for the purposes of illustration however , any number of colorant sub - systems desired may be used , and in practical application the tinting systems in common use by most paint manufacturers include several colorants , for example twelve . it should also be noted that the base paint has its own color characteristics . it therefore can be treated in the same manner as a “ colorant ” and the tinting machine 10 may be provided with a separate colorant sub - system 26 for dispensing the base paint . each of the colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b includes a colorant reservoir 28 a , 28 b which are connected to respective colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b by supply lines 32 a , 32 b . motorized stirrers 34 a and 34 b may be provided to keep the colorants adequately mixed . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are in turn connected to corresponding colorant valves 36 a and 36 b by pump discharge lines 38 a , 38 b . each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b is a three - way type of valve which directs colorant received from the respective colorant pump 30 a , 30 b either back to the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through return lines 40 a , 40 b , or out through dispensing lines 42 a , 42 b and into a paint can 20 , depending on how the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are set . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are arranged to be operated remotely , for example by providing individual solenoids of a known type ( not shown ) connected to each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b . owing to the method of operation of the present system , which is explained in more detail below , no particular type of pump is required to move the colorants . any pump which will create a steady flow of the colorants through the piping loop from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the respective colorant valve 36 a or 36 b may be used . therefore , both positive - displacement and non - positive - displacement pumps are appropriate . furthermore , the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b could be eliminated entirely by providing means such as inert gas or compressed air to pressurize the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b may be operated in various ways . each colorant pump 30 a , 30 b may be driven by its own electric motor . however , preferably to minimize the number of components used , all of the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are driven by a single prime mover through a mechanical drive train using belts , gears , shafts , or a combination thereof . the illustrated example in fig2 shows an electric motor 44 controlled by a variable - speed ac drive of a known type . the motor 44 in turn drives the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b through a belt and pulley system 46 . the ac drive may include means for outputting a motor speed signal . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are connected to a control system 48 which in the illustrated example includes a programmable logic controller ( plc ) 50 of a known type and a computer 52 of a known type , such as a pc - compatible computer , operating in concert . the plc 50 operates the electric motor 44 ( through the ac drive ) and colorant valves 36 a , 36 b based on commands received from the computer 52 . the plc 50 may be programmed to execute a series of steps based on relatively simple high - level commands from the computer 52 . fig3 a and 3b depict the steps involved in tinting a container of paint . the manner in which of these steps are executed may vary . for example , each step may be individually triggered by a control software program running on the computer 52 . alternatively , the control software of the computer 52 may simply provide an indication of the required colorant volumes to the plc , in which case the plc 50 would be programmed to execute the detailed steps of the tinting process . the process begins at block 54 . the user inputs into the computer 52 the desired final color and quantity of paint to be tinted . at block 56 , the control software refers to a stored “ formula ” which describes the correct quantity of each colorant required to produce the desired color for a given volume of tint base . typically , colorants are mixed by volume , but mass may also be used as a measure . the control system 48 then determines in block 58 the proper duration of flow or “ dispense times ” tn = t 1 . . . tmax for each colorant required by using a stored calibration which correlates the quantity of colorant for each unit time at a specific flowrate . this calibration may also allow for time delays in the operation of the electromechanical portions of the system . fig4 shows a graphical example of a chart representing a stored calibration . an equivalent numerical look - up table or other data format may also be used for the same purpose , or a curve fit equation could be used to calculate the dispense time for each colorant . not all of the colorants are required for every chosen color . for example , a particular color may require only four colorants out of twelve available colorants . the control system 48 then verifies that the correct size container is in place at block 60 . once all the initial conditions are satisfied , the user provides a “ dispense ” command . the control system 48 then causes the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b to move to , or to remain in , the recirculation ( or “ closed ”) position at block 62 and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to begin running at a desired speed at block 64 . when the colorant pumps are verified to be operating at the correct rpm by monitoring the speed signal from the ac drive ( see block 66 ), this means that steady - state recirculation of the colorant from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b and back to the colorant reservoirs 36 a , 36 b is confirmed . at block 68 , a time value “ t ” is set equal to zero and the required dispensing valves v 1 . . . vmax are opened ( block 70 ). the time value t may be measured by an internal clock of the computer 52 or the plc 50 . alternatively , a separate timing chip may be provided . continuing on fig3 b , at block 72 , the time t is incremented by the desired amount . the smallest time interval of the system is limited only by the accuracy of the clock used , and may be on the order of microseconds . a count value “ n ” corresponding to the colorant number is set equal to 1 at block 74 . at block 76 , t is checked to determine if it equals the value “ tn ” for the first colorant . if not , n is incremented to n + 1 at block 78 . at block 80 , the value n is checked to determine if it is greater than the maximum value nmax . if not , the process returns to block 76 where the test is repeated to determine if time “ tn ” for the subsequent colorant has been reached . if at block 76 , the time tn has been reached , then the corresponding colorant valve “ vn ” is closed ( block 82 ) and the value of n is again incremented ( block 78 ). the cycle through blocks 76 through 82 is subsequently repeated until all of the required colorants n 1 through nmax are checked . once all the colorants have been checked at the initial time increment , the test at block 80 will indicate that n is greater than nmax . if this the case , then the system checks at block 84 to determine if all of the colorant valves have been closed . if this is not the case , then the system proceeds to block 72 where the time t is incremented . the process then proceeds to block 74 where n is reset equal to 1 and the loop of blocks 76 through 82 is repeated . if at block 84 all colorant valves have been closed , then the process proceeds to block 86 where the colorant pumps are stopped . the process is thus finished , as indicated at block 88 . the above - noted steps are merely a representative example of how a colorant flow may be measured using time - based metering , and they may be varied as need to suit an individual application . in particular , the step of recirculating the colorants may be eliminated under certain circumstances . for example , if a liquid dye were to be used , then the recirculation step would be eliminated because there would be no need to keep a pigment in suspension . in that case , the calibration chart would be modified to reflect the unsteady nature of the initial colorant flow after the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are opened . the foregoing has described a fluid tinting apparatus and method . while specific embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereto can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation . | Should this patent be classified under 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | 06e24ab47dbbd61d7d428abb46afb8f60b0d8e320adf5b8181398519babe3347 | 0.011658 | 0.001869 | 0.012024 | 0.000021 | 0.036133 | 0.005554 |
null | referring to the drawings wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views , fig1 shows an automatic paint tinting machine 10 . it should be noted that the present invention is equally applicable to the precise mixing of any other type of fluid . a paint can 20 contains base paint ready for tinting with pigment , which is delivered by the operation of the tinting machine 10 . the tinting machine 10 may also be used to deliver colorants to an empty container . a frame 12 houses the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a movable mounting plate 14 is connected to the frame 12 . a microprocessor - based computer 16 controls several aspects of the delivery of pigment which will likewise be discussed in greater detail below . a sight 22 , which is preferably formed as a hole in mounting plate 14 , is positioned above the paint can 20 . the primary function of the sight 22 is to permit the operator of the machine 10 to have a reference point for placement of the paint can 20 so that pigment is reliably delivered thereto . shelf 24 is preferably designed to be of sufficient size and strength to accommodate at least a standard one - gallon paint can and preferably as wide a range of paint containers as are reasonably likely to be used in conjunction with the machine 10 , and in fact may be adjustable to accommodate containers as necessary . in the preferred embodiment , the operator places the paint can 20 on the shelf 24 and ensures that the mouth of the paint can 20 or , in some embodiments , a bunghole in the can lid , is aligned with the sight 22 . fig2 is a schematic view of the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a plurality of individual colorant sub - systems are provided , one for each colorant in the paint manufacturer &# 39 ; s color system . in the particular example shown , first and second colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b are shown for the purposes of illustration however , any number of colorant sub - systems desired may be used , and in practical application the tinting systems in common use by most paint manufacturers include several colorants , for example twelve . it should also be noted that the base paint has its own color characteristics . it therefore can be treated in the same manner as a “ colorant ” and the tinting machine 10 may be provided with a separate colorant sub - system 26 for dispensing the base paint . each of the colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b includes a colorant reservoir 28 a , 28 b which are connected to respective colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b by supply lines 32 a , 32 b . motorized stirrers 34 a and 34 b may be provided to keep the colorants adequately mixed . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are in turn connected to corresponding colorant valves 36 a and 36 b by pump discharge lines 38 a , 38 b . each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b is a three - way type of valve which directs colorant received from the respective colorant pump 30 a , 30 b either back to the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through return lines 40 a , 40 b , or out through dispensing lines 42 a , 42 b and into a paint can 20 , depending on how the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are set . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are arranged to be operated remotely , for example by providing individual solenoids of a known type ( not shown ) connected to each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b . owing to the method of operation of the present system , which is explained in more detail below , no particular type of pump is required to move the colorants . any pump which will create a steady flow of the colorants through the piping loop from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the respective colorant valve 36 a or 36 b may be used . therefore , both positive - displacement and non - positive - displacement pumps are appropriate . furthermore , the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b could be eliminated entirely by providing means such as inert gas or compressed air to pressurize the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b may be operated in various ways . each colorant pump 30 a , 30 b may be driven by its own electric motor . however , preferably to minimize the number of components used , all of the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are driven by a single prime mover through a mechanical drive train using belts , gears , shafts , or a combination thereof . the illustrated example in fig2 shows an electric motor 44 controlled by a variable - speed ac drive of a known type . the motor 44 in turn drives the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b through a belt and pulley system 46 . the ac drive may include means for outputting a motor speed signal . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are connected to a control system 48 which in the illustrated example includes a programmable logic controller ( plc ) 50 of a known type and a computer 52 of a known type , such as a pc - compatible computer , operating in concert . the plc 50 operates the electric motor 44 ( through the ac drive ) and colorant valves 36 a , 36 b based on commands received from the computer 52 . the plc 50 may be programmed to execute a series of steps based on relatively simple high - level commands from the computer 52 . fig3 a and 3b depict the steps involved in tinting a container of paint . the manner in which of these steps are executed may vary . for example , each step may be individually triggered by a control software program running on the computer 52 . alternatively , the control software of the computer 52 may simply provide an indication of the required colorant volumes to the plc , in which case the plc 50 would be programmed to execute the detailed steps of the tinting process . the process begins at block 54 . the user inputs into the computer 52 the desired final color and quantity of paint to be tinted . at block 56 , the control software refers to a stored “ formula ” which describes the correct quantity of each colorant required to produce the desired color for a given volume of tint base . typically , colorants are mixed by volume , but mass may also be used as a measure . the control system 48 then determines in block 58 the proper duration of flow or “ dispense times ” tn = t 1 . . . tmax for each colorant required by using a stored calibration which correlates the quantity of colorant for each unit time at a specific flowrate . this calibration may also allow for time delays in the operation of the electromechanical portions of the system . fig4 shows a graphical example of a chart representing a stored calibration . an equivalent numerical look - up table or other data format may also be used for the same purpose , or a curve fit equation could be used to calculate the dispense time for each colorant . not all of the colorants are required for every chosen color . for example , a particular color may require only four colorants out of twelve available colorants . the control system 48 then verifies that the correct size container is in place at block 60 . once all the initial conditions are satisfied , the user provides a “ dispense ” command . the control system 48 then causes the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b to move to , or to remain in , the recirculation ( or “ closed ”) position at block 62 and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to begin running at a desired speed at block 64 . when the colorant pumps are verified to be operating at the correct rpm by monitoring the speed signal from the ac drive ( see block 66 ), this means that steady - state recirculation of the colorant from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b and back to the colorant reservoirs 36 a , 36 b is confirmed . at block 68 , a time value “ t ” is set equal to zero and the required dispensing valves v 1 . . . vmax are opened ( block 70 ). the time value t may be measured by an internal clock of the computer 52 or the plc 50 . alternatively , a separate timing chip may be provided . continuing on fig3 b , at block 72 , the time t is incremented by the desired amount . the smallest time interval of the system is limited only by the accuracy of the clock used , and may be on the order of microseconds . a count value “ n ” corresponding to the colorant number is set equal to 1 at block 74 . at block 76 , t is checked to determine if it equals the value “ tn ” for the first colorant . if not , n is incremented to n + 1 at block 78 . at block 80 , the value n is checked to determine if it is greater than the maximum value nmax . if not , the process returns to block 76 where the test is repeated to determine if time “ tn ” for the subsequent colorant has been reached . if at block 76 , the time tn has been reached , then the corresponding colorant valve “ vn ” is closed ( block 82 ) and the value of n is again incremented ( block 78 ). the cycle through blocks 76 through 82 is subsequently repeated until all of the required colorants n 1 through nmax are checked . once all the colorants have been checked at the initial time increment , the test at block 80 will indicate that n is greater than nmax . if this the case , then the system checks at block 84 to determine if all of the colorant valves have been closed . if this is not the case , then the system proceeds to block 72 where the time t is incremented . the process then proceeds to block 74 where n is reset equal to 1 and the loop of blocks 76 through 82 is repeated . if at block 84 all colorant valves have been closed , then the process proceeds to block 86 where the colorant pumps are stopped . the process is thus finished , as indicated at block 88 . the above - noted steps are merely a representative example of how a colorant flow may be measured using time - based metering , and they may be varied as need to suit an individual application . in particular , the step of recirculating the colorants may be eliminated under certain circumstances . for example , if a liquid dye were to be used , then the recirculation step would be eliminated because there would be no need to keep a pigment in suspension . in that case , the calibration chart would be modified to reflect the unsteady nature of the initial colorant flow after the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are opened . the foregoing has described a fluid tinting apparatus and method . while specific embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereto can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation . | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | 06e24ab47dbbd61d7d428abb46afb8f60b0d8e320adf5b8181398519babe3347 | 0.026001 | 0.025513 | 0.02063 | 0.041504 | 0.042725 | 0.149414 |
null | referring to the drawings wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views , fig1 shows an automatic paint tinting machine 10 . it should be noted that the present invention is equally applicable to the precise mixing of any other type of fluid . a paint can 20 contains base paint ready for tinting with pigment , which is delivered by the operation of the tinting machine 10 . the tinting machine 10 may also be used to deliver colorants to an empty container . a frame 12 houses the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a movable mounting plate 14 is connected to the frame 12 . a microprocessor - based computer 16 controls several aspects of the delivery of pigment which will likewise be discussed in greater detail below . a sight 22 , which is preferably formed as a hole in mounting plate 14 , is positioned above the paint can 20 . the primary function of the sight 22 is to permit the operator of the machine 10 to have a reference point for placement of the paint can 20 so that pigment is reliably delivered thereto . shelf 24 is preferably designed to be of sufficient size and strength to accommodate at least a standard one - gallon paint can and preferably as wide a range of paint containers as are reasonably likely to be used in conjunction with the machine 10 , and in fact may be adjustable to accommodate containers as necessary . in the preferred embodiment , the operator places the paint can 20 on the shelf 24 and ensures that the mouth of the paint can 20 or , in some embodiments , a bunghole in the can lid , is aligned with the sight 22 . fig2 is a schematic view of the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a plurality of individual colorant sub - systems are provided , one for each colorant in the paint manufacturer &# 39 ; s color system . in the particular example shown , first and second colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b are shown for the purposes of illustration however , any number of colorant sub - systems desired may be used , and in practical application the tinting systems in common use by most paint manufacturers include several colorants , for example twelve . it should also be noted that the base paint has its own color characteristics . it therefore can be treated in the same manner as a “ colorant ” and the tinting machine 10 may be provided with a separate colorant sub - system 26 for dispensing the base paint . each of the colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b includes a colorant reservoir 28 a , 28 b which are connected to respective colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b by supply lines 32 a , 32 b . motorized stirrers 34 a and 34 b may be provided to keep the colorants adequately mixed . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are in turn connected to corresponding colorant valves 36 a and 36 b by pump discharge lines 38 a , 38 b . each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b is a three - way type of valve which directs colorant received from the respective colorant pump 30 a , 30 b either back to the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through return lines 40 a , 40 b , or out through dispensing lines 42 a , 42 b and into a paint can 20 , depending on how the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are set . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are arranged to be operated remotely , for example by providing individual solenoids of a known type ( not shown ) connected to each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b . owing to the method of operation of the present system , which is explained in more detail below , no particular type of pump is required to move the colorants . any pump which will create a steady flow of the colorants through the piping loop from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the respective colorant valve 36 a or 36 b may be used . therefore , both positive - displacement and non - positive - displacement pumps are appropriate . furthermore , the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b could be eliminated entirely by providing means such as inert gas or compressed air to pressurize the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b may be operated in various ways . each colorant pump 30 a , 30 b may be driven by its own electric motor . however , preferably to minimize the number of components used , all of the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are driven by a single prime mover through a mechanical drive train using belts , gears , shafts , or a combination thereof . the illustrated example in fig2 shows an electric motor 44 controlled by a variable - speed ac drive of a known type . the motor 44 in turn drives the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b through a belt and pulley system 46 . the ac drive may include means for outputting a motor speed signal . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are connected to a control system 48 which in the illustrated example includes a programmable logic controller ( plc ) 50 of a known type and a computer 52 of a known type , such as a pc - compatible computer , operating in concert . the plc 50 operates the electric motor 44 ( through the ac drive ) and colorant valves 36 a , 36 b based on commands received from the computer 52 . the plc 50 may be programmed to execute a series of steps based on relatively simple high - level commands from the computer 52 . fig3 a and 3b depict the steps involved in tinting a container of paint . the manner in which of these steps are executed may vary . for example , each step may be individually triggered by a control software program running on the computer 52 . alternatively , the control software of the computer 52 may simply provide an indication of the required colorant volumes to the plc , in which case the plc 50 would be programmed to execute the detailed steps of the tinting process . the process begins at block 54 . the user inputs into the computer 52 the desired final color and quantity of paint to be tinted . at block 56 , the control software refers to a stored “ formula ” which describes the correct quantity of each colorant required to produce the desired color for a given volume of tint base . typically , colorants are mixed by volume , but mass may also be used as a measure . the control system 48 then determines in block 58 the proper duration of flow or “ dispense times ” tn = t 1 . . . tmax for each colorant required by using a stored calibration which correlates the quantity of colorant for each unit time at a specific flowrate . this calibration may also allow for time delays in the operation of the electromechanical portions of the system . fig4 shows a graphical example of a chart representing a stored calibration . an equivalent numerical look - up table or other data format may also be used for the same purpose , or a curve fit equation could be used to calculate the dispense time for each colorant . not all of the colorants are required for every chosen color . for example , a particular color may require only four colorants out of twelve available colorants . the control system 48 then verifies that the correct size container is in place at block 60 . once all the initial conditions are satisfied , the user provides a “ dispense ” command . the control system 48 then causes the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b to move to , or to remain in , the recirculation ( or “ closed ”) position at block 62 and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to begin running at a desired speed at block 64 . when the colorant pumps are verified to be operating at the correct rpm by monitoring the speed signal from the ac drive ( see block 66 ), this means that steady - state recirculation of the colorant from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b and back to the colorant reservoirs 36 a , 36 b is confirmed . at block 68 , a time value “ t ” is set equal to zero and the required dispensing valves v 1 . . . vmax are opened ( block 70 ). the time value t may be measured by an internal clock of the computer 52 or the plc 50 . alternatively , a separate timing chip may be provided . continuing on fig3 b , at block 72 , the time t is incremented by the desired amount . the smallest time interval of the system is limited only by the accuracy of the clock used , and may be on the order of microseconds . a count value “ n ” corresponding to the colorant number is set equal to 1 at block 74 . at block 76 , t is checked to determine if it equals the value “ tn ” for the first colorant . if not , n is incremented to n + 1 at block 78 . at block 80 , the value n is checked to determine if it is greater than the maximum value nmax . if not , the process returns to block 76 where the test is repeated to determine if time “ tn ” for the subsequent colorant has been reached . if at block 76 , the time tn has been reached , then the corresponding colorant valve “ vn ” is closed ( block 82 ) and the value of n is again incremented ( block 78 ). the cycle through blocks 76 through 82 is subsequently repeated until all of the required colorants n 1 through nmax are checked . once all the colorants have been checked at the initial time increment , the test at block 80 will indicate that n is greater than nmax . if this the case , then the system checks at block 84 to determine if all of the colorant valves have been closed . if this is not the case , then the system proceeds to block 72 where the time t is incremented . the process then proceeds to block 74 where n is reset equal to 1 and the loop of blocks 76 through 82 is repeated . if at block 84 all colorant valves have been closed , then the process proceeds to block 86 where the colorant pumps are stopped . the process is thus finished , as indicated at block 88 . the above - noted steps are merely a representative example of how a colorant flow may be measured using time - based metering , and they may be varied as need to suit an individual application . in particular , the step of recirculating the colorants may be eliminated under certain circumstances . for example , if a liquid dye were to be used , then the recirculation step would be eliminated because there would be no need to keep a pigment in suspension . in that case , the calibration chart would be modified to reflect the unsteady nature of the initial colorant flow after the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are opened . the foregoing has described a fluid tinting apparatus and method . while specific embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereto can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation . | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | 06e24ab47dbbd61d7d428abb46afb8f60b0d8e320adf5b8181398519babe3347 | 0.026001 | 0.001595 | 0.02063 | 0.000458 | 0.042725 | 0.006683 |
null | referring to the drawings wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views , fig1 shows an automatic paint tinting machine 10 . it should be noted that the present invention is equally applicable to the precise mixing of any other type of fluid . a paint can 20 contains base paint ready for tinting with pigment , which is delivered by the operation of the tinting machine 10 . the tinting machine 10 may also be used to deliver colorants to an empty container . a frame 12 houses the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a movable mounting plate 14 is connected to the frame 12 . a microprocessor - based computer 16 controls several aspects of the delivery of pigment which will likewise be discussed in greater detail below . a sight 22 , which is preferably formed as a hole in mounting plate 14 , is positioned above the paint can 20 . the primary function of the sight 22 is to permit the operator of the machine 10 to have a reference point for placement of the paint can 20 so that pigment is reliably delivered thereto . shelf 24 is preferably designed to be of sufficient size and strength to accommodate at least a standard one - gallon paint can and preferably as wide a range of paint containers as are reasonably likely to be used in conjunction with the machine 10 , and in fact may be adjustable to accommodate containers as necessary . in the preferred embodiment , the operator places the paint can 20 on the shelf 24 and ensures that the mouth of the paint can 20 or , in some embodiments , a bunghole in the can lid , is aligned with the sight 22 . fig2 is a schematic view of the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a plurality of individual colorant sub - systems are provided , one for each colorant in the paint manufacturer &# 39 ; s color system . in the particular example shown , first and second colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b are shown for the purposes of illustration however , any number of colorant sub - systems desired may be used , and in practical application the tinting systems in common use by most paint manufacturers include several colorants , for example twelve . it should also be noted that the base paint has its own color characteristics . it therefore can be treated in the same manner as a “ colorant ” and the tinting machine 10 may be provided with a separate colorant sub - system 26 for dispensing the base paint . each of the colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b includes a colorant reservoir 28 a , 28 b which are connected to respective colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b by supply lines 32 a , 32 b . motorized stirrers 34 a and 34 b may be provided to keep the colorants adequately mixed . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are in turn connected to corresponding colorant valves 36 a and 36 b by pump discharge lines 38 a , 38 b . each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b is a three - way type of valve which directs colorant received from the respective colorant pump 30 a , 30 b either back to the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through return lines 40 a , 40 b , or out through dispensing lines 42 a , 42 b and into a paint can 20 , depending on how the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are set . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are arranged to be operated remotely , for example by providing individual solenoids of a known type ( not shown ) connected to each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b . owing to the method of operation of the present system , which is explained in more detail below , no particular type of pump is required to move the colorants . any pump which will create a steady flow of the colorants through the piping loop from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the respective colorant valve 36 a or 36 b may be used . therefore , both positive - displacement and non - positive - displacement pumps are appropriate . furthermore , the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b could be eliminated entirely by providing means such as inert gas or compressed air to pressurize the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b may be operated in various ways . each colorant pump 30 a , 30 b may be driven by its own electric motor . however , preferably to minimize the number of components used , all of the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are driven by a single prime mover through a mechanical drive train using belts , gears , shafts , or a combination thereof . the illustrated example in fig2 shows an electric motor 44 controlled by a variable - speed ac drive of a known type . the motor 44 in turn drives the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b through a belt and pulley system 46 . the ac drive may include means for outputting a motor speed signal . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are connected to a control system 48 which in the illustrated example includes a programmable logic controller ( plc ) 50 of a known type and a computer 52 of a known type , such as a pc - compatible computer , operating in concert . the plc 50 operates the electric motor 44 ( through the ac drive ) and colorant valves 36 a , 36 b based on commands received from the computer 52 . the plc 50 may be programmed to execute a series of steps based on relatively simple high - level commands from the computer 52 . fig3 a and 3b depict the steps involved in tinting a container of paint . the manner in which of these steps are executed may vary . for example , each step may be individually triggered by a control software program running on the computer 52 . alternatively , the control software of the computer 52 may simply provide an indication of the required colorant volumes to the plc , in which case the plc 50 would be programmed to execute the detailed steps of the tinting process . the process begins at block 54 . the user inputs into the computer 52 the desired final color and quantity of paint to be tinted . at block 56 , the control software refers to a stored “ formula ” which describes the correct quantity of each colorant required to produce the desired color for a given volume of tint base . typically , colorants are mixed by volume , but mass may also be used as a measure . the control system 48 then determines in block 58 the proper duration of flow or “ dispense times ” tn = t 1 . . . tmax for each colorant required by using a stored calibration which correlates the quantity of colorant for each unit time at a specific flowrate . this calibration may also allow for time delays in the operation of the electromechanical portions of the system . fig4 shows a graphical example of a chart representing a stored calibration . an equivalent numerical look - up table or other data format may also be used for the same purpose , or a curve fit equation could be used to calculate the dispense time for each colorant . not all of the colorants are required for every chosen color . for example , a particular color may require only four colorants out of twelve available colorants . the control system 48 then verifies that the correct size container is in place at block 60 . once all the initial conditions are satisfied , the user provides a “ dispense ” command . the control system 48 then causes the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b to move to , or to remain in , the recirculation ( or “ closed ”) position at block 62 and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to begin running at a desired speed at block 64 . when the colorant pumps are verified to be operating at the correct rpm by monitoring the speed signal from the ac drive ( see block 66 ), this means that steady - state recirculation of the colorant from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b and back to the colorant reservoirs 36 a , 36 b is confirmed . at block 68 , a time value “ t ” is set equal to zero and the required dispensing valves v 1 . . . vmax are opened ( block 70 ). the time value t may be measured by an internal clock of the computer 52 or the plc 50 . alternatively , a separate timing chip may be provided . continuing on fig3 b , at block 72 , the time t is incremented by the desired amount . the smallest time interval of the system is limited only by the accuracy of the clock used , and may be on the order of microseconds . a count value “ n ” corresponding to the colorant number is set equal to 1 at block 74 . at block 76 , t is checked to determine if it equals the value “ tn ” for the first colorant . if not , n is incremented to n + 1 at block 78 . at block 80 , the value n is checked to determine if it is greater than the maximum value nmax . if not , the process returns to block 76 where the test is repeated to determine if time “ tn ” for the subsequent colorant has been reached . if at block 76 , the time tn has been reached , then the corresponding colorant valve “ vn ” is closed ( block 82 ) and the value of n is again incremented ( block 78 ). the cycle through blocks 76 through 82 is subsequently repeated until all of the required colorants n 1 through nmax are checked . once all the colorants have been checked at the initial time increment , the test at block 80 will indicate that n is greater than nmax . if this the case , then the system checks at block 84 to determine if all of the colorant valves have been closed . if this is not the case , then the system proceeds to block 72 where the time t is incremented . the process then proceeds to block 74 where n is reset equal to 1 and the loop of blocks 76 through 82 is repeated . if at block 84 all colorant valves have been closed , then the process proceeds to block 86 where the colorant pumps are stopped . the process is thus finished , as indicated at block 88 . the above - noted steps are merely a representative example of how a colorant flow may be measured using time - based metering , and they may be varied as need to suit an individual application . in particular , the step of recirculating the colorants may be eliminated under certain circumstances . for example , if a liquid dye were to be used , then the recirculation step would be eliminated because there would be no need to keep a pigment in suspension . in that case , the calibration chart would be modified to reflect the unsteady nature of the initial colorant flow after the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are opened . the foregoing has described a fluid tinting apparatus and method . while specific embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereto can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 06e24ab47dbbd61d7d428abb46afb8f60b0d8e320adf5b8181398519babe3347 | 0.035645 | 0.011658 | 0.018555 | 0.003708 | 0.086426 | 0.015869 |
null | referring to the drawings wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views , fig1 shows an automatic paint tinting machine 10 . it should be noted that the present invention is equally applicable to the precise mixing of any other type of fluid . a paint can 20 contains base paint ready for tinting with pigment , which is delivered by the operation of the tinting machine 10 . the tinting machine 10 may also be used to deliver colorants to an empty container . a frame 12 houses the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a movable mounting plate 14 is connected to the frame 12 . a microprocessor - based computer 16 controls several aspects of the delivery of pigment which will likewise be discussed in greater detail below . a sight 22 , which is preferably formed as a hole in mounting plate 14 , is positioned above the paint can 20 . the primary function of the sight 22 is to permit the operator of the machine 10 to have a reference point for placement of the paint can 20 so that pigment is reliably delivered thereto . shelf 24 is preferably designed to be of sufficient size and strength to accommodate at least a standard one - gallon paint can and preferably as wide a range of paint containers as are reasonably likely to be used in conjunction with the machine 10 , and in fact may be adjustable to accommodate containers as necessary . in the preferred embodiment , the operator places the paint can 20 on the shelf 24 and ensures that the mouth of the paint can 20 or , in some embodiments , a bunghole in the can lid , is aligned with the sight 22 . fig2 is a schematic view of the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a plurality of individual colorant sub - systems are provided , one for each colorant in the paint manufacturer &# 39 ; s color system . in the particular example shown , first and second colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b are shown for the purposes of illustration however , any number of colorant sub - systems desired may be used , and in practical application the tinting systems in common use by most paint manufacturers include several colorants , for example twelve . it should also be noted that the base paint has its own color characteristics . it therefore can be treated in the same manner as a “ colorant ” and the tinting machine 10 may be provided with a separate colorant sub - system 26 for dispensing the base paint . each of the colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b includes a colorant reservoir 28 a , 28 b which are connected to respective colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b by supply lines 32 a , 32 b . motorized stirrers 34 a and 34 b may be provided to keep the colorants adequately mixed . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are in turn connected to corresponding colorant valves 36 a and 36 b by pump discharge lines 38 a , 38 b . each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b is a three - way type of valve which directs colorant received from the respective colorant pump 30 a , 30 b either back to the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through return lines 40 a , 40 b , or out through dispensing lines 42 a , 42 b and into a paint can 20 , depending on how the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are set . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are arranged to be operated remotely , for example by providing individual solenoids of a known type ( not shown ) connected to each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b . owing to the method of operation of the present system , which is explained in more detail below , no particular type of pump is required to move the colorants . any pump which will create a steady flow of the colorants through the piping loop from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the respective colorant valve 36 a or 36 b may be used . therefore , both positive - displacement and non - positive - displacement pumps are appropriate . furthermore , the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b could be eliminated entirely by providing means such as inert gas or compressed air to pressurize the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b may be operated in various ways . each colorant pump 30 a , 30 b may be driven by its own electric motor . however , preferably to minimize the number of components used , all of the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are driven by a single prime mover through a mechanical drive train using belts , gears , shafts , or a combination thereof . the illustrated example in fig2 shows an electric motor 44 controlled by a variable - speed ac drive of a known type . the motor 44 in turn drives the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b through a belt and pulley system 46 . the ac drive may include means for outputting a motor speed signal . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are connected to a control system 48 which in the illustrated example includes a programmable logic controller ( plc ) 50 of a known type and a computer 52 of a known type , such as a pc - compatible computer , operating in concert . the plc 50 operates the electric motor 44 ( through the ac drive ) and colorant valves 36 a , 36 b based on commands received from the computer 52 . the plc 50 may be programmed to execute a series of steps based on relatively simple high - level commands from the computer 52 . fig3 a and 3b depict the steps involved in tinting a container of paint . the manner in which of these steps are executed may vary . for example , each step may be individually triggered by a control software program running on the computer 52 . alternatively , the control software of the computer 52 may simply provide an indication of the required colorant volumes to the plc , in which case the plc 50 would be programmed to execute the detailed steps of the tinting process . the process begins at block 54 . the user inputs into the computer 52 the desired final color and quantity of paint to be tinted . at block 56 , the control software refers to a stored “ formula ” which describes the correct quantity of each colorant required to produce the desired color for a given volume of tint base . typically , colorants are mixed by volume , but mass may also be used as a measure . the control system 48 then determines in block 58 the proper duration of flow or “ dispense times ” tn = t 1 . . . tmax for each colorant required by using a stored calibration which correlates the quantity of colorant for each unit time at a specific flowrate . this calibration may also allow for time delays in the operation of the electromechanical portions of the system . fig4 shows a graphical example of a chart representing a stored calibration . an equivalent numerical look - up table or other data format may also be used for the same purpose , or a curve fit equation could be used to calculate the dispense time for each colorant . not all of the colorants are required for every chosen color . for example , a particular color may require only four colorants out of twelve available colorants . the control system 48 then verifies that the correct size container is in place at block 60 . once all the initial conditions are satisfied , the user provides a “ dispense ” command . the control system 48 then causes the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b to move to , or to remain in , the recirculation ( or “ closed ”) position at block 62 and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to begin running at a desired speed at block 64 . when the colorant pumps are verified to be operating at the correct rpm by monitoring the speed signal from the ac drive ( see block 66 ), this means that steady - state recirculation of the colorant from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b and back to the colorant reservoirs 36 a , 36 b is confirmed . at block 68 , a time value “ t ” is set equal to zero and the required dispensing valves v 1 . . . vmax are opened ( block 70 ). the time value t may be measured by an internal clock of the computer 52 or the plc 50 . alternatively , a separate timing chip may be provided . continuing on fig3 b , at block 72 , the time t is incremented by the desired amount . the smallest time interval of the system is limited only by the accuracy of the clock used , and may be on the order of microseconds . a count value “ n ” corresponding to the colorant number is set equal to 1 at block 74 . at block 76 , t is checked to determine if it equals the value “ tn ” for the first colorant . if not , n is incremented to n + 1 at block 78 . at block 80 , the value n is checked to determine if it is greater than the maximum value nmax . if not , the process returns to block 76 where the test is repeated to determine if time “ tn ” for the subsequent colorant has been reached . if at block 76 , the time tn has been reached , then the corresponding colorant valve “ vn ” is closed ( block 82 ) and the value of n is again incremented ( block 78 ). the cycle through blocks 76 through 82 is subsequently repeated until all of the required colorants n 1 through nmax are checked . once all the colorants have been checked at the initial time increment , the test at block 80 will indicate that n is greater than nmax . if this the case , then the system checks at block 84 to determine if all of the colorant valves have been closed . if this is not the case , then the system proceeds to block 72 where the time t is incremented . the process then proceeds to block 74 where n is reset equal to 1 and the loop of blocks 76 through 82 is repeated . if at block 84 all colorant valves have been closed , then the process proceeds to block 86 where the colorant pumps are stopped . the process is thus finished , as indicated at block 88 . the above - noted steps are merely a representative example of how a colorant flow may be measured using time - based metering , and they may be varied as need to suit an individual application . in particular , the step of recirculating the colorants may be eliminated under certain circumstances . for example , if a liquid dye were to be used , then the recirculation step would be eliminated because there would be no need to keep a pigment in suspension . in that case , the calibration chart would be modified to reflect the unsteady nature of the initial colorant flow after the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are opened . the foregoing has described a fluid tinting apparatus and method . while specific embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereto can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation . | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is 'Electricity' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 06e24ab47dbbd61d7d428abb46afb8f60b0d8e320adf5b8181398519babe3347 | 0.026001 | 0.02002 | 0.02063 | 0.001167 | 0.042725 | 0.002548 |
null | referring to the drawings wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views , fig1 shows an automatic paint tinting machine 10 . it should be noted that the present invention is equally applicable to the precise mixing of any other type of fluid . a paint can 20 contains base paint ready for tinting with pigment , which is delivered by the operation of the tinting machine 10 . the tinting machine 10 may also be used to deliver colorants to an empty container . a frame 12 houses the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a movable mounting plate 14 is connected to the frame 12 . a microprocessor - based computer 16 controls several aspects of the delivery of pigment which will likewise be discussed in greater detail below . a sight 22 , which is preferably formed as a hole in mounting plate 14 , is positioned above the paint can 20 . the primary function of the sight 22 is to permit the operator of the machine 10 to have a reference point for placement of the paint can 20 so that pigment is reliably delivered thereto . shelf 24 is preferably designed to be of sufficient size and strength to accommodate at least a standard one - gallon paint can and preferably as wide a range of paint containers as are reasonably likely to be used in conjunction with the machine 10 , and in fact may be adjustable to accommodate containers as necessary . in the preferred embodiment , the operator places the paint can 20 on the shelf 24 and ensures that the mouth of the paint can 20 or , in some embodiments , a bunghole in the can lid , is aligned with the sight 22 . fig2 is a schematic view of the internal components of the tinting machine 10 . a plurality of individual colorant sub - systems are provided , one for each colorant in the paint manufacturer &# 39 ; s color system . in the particular example shown , first and second colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b are shown for the purposes of illustration however , any number of colorant sub - systems desired may be used , and in practical application the tinting systems in common use by most paint manufacturers include several colorants , for example twelve . it should also be noted that the base paint has its own color characteristics . it therefore can be treated in the same manner as a “ colorant ” and the tinting machine 10 may be provided with a separate colorant sub - system 26 for dispensing the base paint . each of the colorant sub - systems 26 a and 26 b includes a colorant reservoir 28 a , 28 b which are connected to respective colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b by supply lines 32 a , 32 b . motorized stirrers 34 a and 34 b may be provided to keep the colorants adequately mixed . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are in turn connected to corresponding colorant valves 36 a and 36 b by pump discharge lines 38 a , 38 b . each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b is a three - way type of valve which directs colorant received from the respective colorant pump 30 a , 30 b either back to the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through return lines 40 a , 40 b , or out through dispensing lines 42 a , 42 b and into a paint can 20 , depending on how the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are set . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are arranged to be operated remotely , for example by providing individual solenoids of a known type ( not shown ) connected to each of the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b . owing to the method of operation of the present system , which is explained in more detail below , no particular type of pump is required to move the colorants . any pump which will create a steady flow of the colorants through the piping loop from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the respective colorant valve 36 a or 36 b may be used . therefore , both positive - displacement and non - positive - displacement pumps are appropriate . furthermore , the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b could be eliminated entirely by providing means such as inert gas or compressed air to pressurize the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b . the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b may be operated in various ways . each colorant pump 30 a , 30 b may be driven by its own electric motor . however , preferably to minimize the number of components used , all of the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are driven by a single prime mover through a mechanical drive train using belts , gears , shafts , or a combination thereof . the illustrated example in fig2 shows an electric motor 44 controlled by a variable - speed ac drive of a known type . the motor 44 in turn drives the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b through a belt and pulley system 46 . the ac drive may include means for outputting a motor speed signal . the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b are connected to a control system 48 which in the illustrated example includes a programmable logic controller ( plc ) 50 of a known type and a computer 52 of a known type , such as a pc - compatible computer , operating in concert . the plc 50 operates the electric motor 44 ( through the ac drive ) and colorant valves 36 a , 36 b based on commands received from the computer 52 . the plc 50 may be programmed to execute a series of steps based on relatively simple high - level commands from the computer 52 . fig3 a and 3b depict the steps involved in tinting a container of paint . the manner in which of these steps are executed may vary . for example , each step may be individually triggered by a control software program running on the computer 52 . alternatively , the control software of the computer 52 may simply provide an indication of the required colorant volumes to the plc , in which case the plc 50 would be programmed to execute the detailed steps of the tinting process . the process begins at block 54 . the user inputs into the computer 52 the desired final color and quantity of paint to be tinted . at block 56 , the control software refers to a stored “ formula ” which describes the correct quantity of each colorant required to produce the desired color for a given volume of tint base . typically , colorants are mixed by volume , but mass may also be used as a measure . the control system 48 then determines in block 58 the proper duration of flow or “ dispense times ” tn = t 1 . . . tmax for each colorant required by using a stored calibration which correlates the quantity of colorant for each unit time at a specific flowrate . this calibration may also allow for time delays in the operation of the electromechanical portions of the system . fig4 shows a graphical example of a chart representing a stored calibration . an equivalent numerical look - up table or other data format may also be used for the same purpose , or a curve fit equation could be used to calculate the dispense time for each colorant . not all of the colorants are required for every chosen color . for example , a particular color may require only four colorants out of twelve available colorants . the control system 48 then verifies that the correct size container is in place at block 60 . once all the initial conditions are satisfied , the user provides a “ dispense ” command . the control system 48 then causes the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b to move to , or to remain in , the recirculation ( or “ closed ”) position at block 62 and the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to begin running at a desired speed at block 64 . when the colorant pumps are verified to be operating at the correct rpm by monitoring the speed signal from the ac drive ( see block 66 ), this means that steady - state recirculation of the colorant from the colorant reservoirs 28 a , 28 b through the colorant pumps 30 a , 30 b to the dispensing valves 36 a , 36 b and back to the colorant reservoirs 36 a , 36 b is confirmed . at block 68 , a time value “ t ” is set equal to zero and the required dispensing valves v 1 . . . vmax are opened ( block 70 ). the time value t may be measured by an internal clock of the computer 52 or the plc 50 . alternatively , a separate timing chip may be provided . continuing on fig3 b , at block 72 , the time t is incremented by the desired amount . the smallest time interval of the system is limited only by the accuracy of the clock used , and may be on the order of microseconds . a count value “ n ” corresponding to the colorant number is set equal to 1 at block 74 . at block 76 , t is checked to determine if it equals the value “ tn ” for the first colorant . if not , n is incremented to n + 1 at block 78 . at block 80 , the value n is checked to determine if it is greater than the maximum value nmax . if not , the process returns to block 76 where the test is repeated to determine if time “ tn ” for the subsequent colorant has been reached . if at block 76 , the time tn has been reached , then the corresponding colorant valve “ vn ” is closed ( block 82 ) and the value of n is again incremented ( block 78 ). the cycle through blocks 76 through 82 is subsequently repeated until all of the required colorants n 1 through nmax are checked . once all the colorants have been checked at the initial time increment , the test at block 80 will indicate that n is greater than nmax . if this the case , then the system checks at block 84 to determine if all of the colorant valves have been closed . if this is not the case , then the system proceeds to block 72 where the time t is incremented . the process then proceeds to block 74 where n is reset equal to 1 and the loop of blocks 76 through 82 is repeated . if at block 84 all colorant valves have been closed , then the process proceeds to block 86 where the colorant pumps are stopped . the process is thus finished , as indicated at block 88 . the above - noted steps are merely a representative example of how a colorant flow may be measured using time - based metering , and they may be varied as need to suit an individual application . in particular , the step of recirculating the colorants may be eliminated under certain circumstances . for example , if a liquid dye were to be used , then the recirculation step would be eliminated because there would be no need to keep a pigment in suspension . in that case , the calibration chart would be modified to reflect the unsteady nature of the initial colorant flow after the colorant valves 36 a , 36 b are opened . the foregoing has described a fluid tinting apparatus and method . while specific embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereto can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation . | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | 06e24ab47dbbd61d7d428abb46afb8f60b0d8e320adf5b8181398519babe3347 | 0.026001 | 0.150391 | 0.02063 | 0.460938 | 0.042725 | 0.206055 |
null | the invention relates to 1 - arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt of the formula i ## str3 ## and also to a process for their preparation and their further reaction to give aromatic compounds having a partially fluorinated side chain . the starting materials used are aromatic aldehydes or ketones which are converted into phosphonium salts of the above formula i by reaction with trifluoromethyl halides and phosphorous triamides . it is known to prepare alkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts by reaction of the corresponding alcohols with a reactive halotris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt ( synthesis , 1979 , 951 - 2 ). the preparation of trifluormethyl - substituted carbinols , the alcohols on which the phosphonium salts of the formula i are based , by transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to carbonyl compounds is of great interest and has been investigated in many publications . in this process , organometallic compounds of base metals , which are usually prepared from the corresponding trifluoromethyl halide and a metal , such as magnesium , zinc , manganese , etc ., are used . the disadvantage of this process is the usually expensive preparation and lability of the organometallic compounds which must be prepared initially , which manifests itself in the poor reproducibility of the published results ( tetrahedron lett . 26 , 5243 to 5246 ; specifically p . 5245 footnote 4 ). the invention accordingly relates to compounds of the formula i ( see above ) in which the radicals r 1 to r 5 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , which can be perfluorinated , alkoxy or alkylthio each having 1 to 6 , in particular 1 to 3 , carbon atoms , and also halogen ( fluorine , chlorine , bromine , iodine ), in which , however , not more than three of the radicals r 1 to r 5 have a meaning other than hydrogen , y denotes hydrogen or a perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , x is bromine or iodine and , &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; stands for an alkyl radical having 1 to 3 carbon atoms . preferably , no more than two substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen are bound to the aromatic ring . the alkyl , alkoxy and alkylthio substituents can be straight - chain or branched and advantageously contain overall a maximum of 6 , in particular a maximum of 4 , carbon atoms . the invention also relates to a simple one - step process for the preparation of the above - mentioned compounds . this can be achieved by transfer of a trifluoromethyl group to aromatic carbonyl compounds , whereby the preparation and use of the above - mentioned organometallic compounds is avoided , and consists in reacting carbonyl compounds of the general formula ii ## str4 ## with trifluoromethyl halides of the formula cf 3 x ( iii ), in which x is bromine or iodine , and phosphorous tris ( dialkylamides ) ( in other words tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphanes ) of the general formula p ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 ( iv ) to give phosphonium salts of the formula i ( see above ), where in formulae i to iii the radicals are r 1 to r 5 , y and &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; have the above - mentioned meaning . these phosphonium salts are very useful intermediates for syntheses and can be converted - as will be shown later - to aromatics having partially fluorinated side chains , which otherwise are often only accessible with difficulty by other routes . the process according to the invention does not only have the advantage of being simple , but also the advantage that the starting materials are readily accessible and that without exception good yields of phosphonium salts are obtained . trifluoromethyl bromide which is less poisonous and cheaper than trifluoromethyl iodide can be used advantageously for the transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to the carbonyl compounds . the aromatic carbonyl compounds ( ii ) used can be the aldehydes ( y = hydrogen ) or aryl perfluoroalkyl ketones ( y = perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 where n is 1 to 6 ). the aromatic carbonyl compounds can be unsubstituted or can have one or more identical or different substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen . examples of suitable phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amides ( iv ) are tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphane , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphase and tris ( dipropyl - or - isopropylamino ) phosphane ; preferably , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphane p ( n [ ch 2 ch 3 ] 2 ) 3 is used . this phosphane can be produced very easily in high yields by reaction of phosphorus trichloride with diethylamine in a solvent which in inert towards the reactants , for example an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon or a mixture of hydrocarbons . the dialkylamino groups can contain identical or different alkyl groups . in the reaction of the aromatic aldehydes or ketones ( ii ) with a trifluoromethyl halide ( iii ) and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide ( iv ), initially an adduct of the formula ( vi ) is formed ## str5 ## the existence of this compound and the assignment of structure vi becomes plausible from the reactivity observed . this compound differs from compounds i by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halide with the formation of esters and also by the fact that it is converted to the free alcohol by the addition of a proton acid . compounds i according to the invention do not undergo these reactions . the initially formed adducts vi are subject in the reaction mixture to an exothermic rearrangement to the arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts ( i ) above a conversion temperature which , depending on the type of the underlying alcohol , is between - 60 ° c . and + 20 ° c . the reaction of the carbonyl compounds with the trifluoromethyl halide and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide is in general carried out at temperatures of about - 100 ° c . to + 50 ° c ., in particular of - 80 ° to + 20 ° c . in the case of carbonyl compounds of very low reactivity it is advantageous to work at temperatures above - 40 ° c . and , for example , up to + 50 ° c . to achieve a rapid conversion . as is known , the reaction time is dependent on the other conditions , in particular on the reaction temperature . in general , the reaction is completed within a period of a few minutes to several hours . the reaction is in general carried out without applying superatmospheric pressure . however , it may be advantageous to work at elevated pressure , especially if the reaction is carried out above the boiling temperature ( at atmospheric pressure ) of the trifluoromethyl halide . this means that in practice the reaction is carried out at least at the internal pressure . advantageously , the present process is carried out under anhydrous conditions in the presence of a solvent or diluent which is inert towards the reactants . in particular aprotic liquids are used as liquids of this type . the liquids used are , for example , halogenated hydrocarbons , such as methylene chloride , tetrachloroethane , nitriles , for example acetonitrile or homologues thereof , such as butyronitrile or benzonitrile , esters , such as diethyl carbonate or ethylene carbonate , and ethers , such as tetrahydrofuran or dimethoxyethane . the solvent should , if possible , be anhydrous . it is advantageous to ensure that during the entire duration of the reaction it is well mixed , for example by stirring , and to keep the reaction product in solution by choosing a suitable solvent . the method and sequence of combining the three components is not critical . the process according to the invention can be carried out , for example , in such a manner that the solvent , the carbonyl compound and a further component are initially introduced and the third component is metered in . however , it is also possible to combine all three components simultaneously . the other reactants are usually used in at least an equivalent amount with respect to the carbonyl compound ii , but often they are used in an excess of , for example , up to 25 %. the reaction mixture can be worked up , for example , by freeing it from the solvent under reduced pressure and recrystallizing the resulting residue . when isolating the phosphonium salt , it may be advantageous first to remove biproducts and some of the solvent by extraction of the reaction mixture with a non - porous solvent , for example a hydrocarbon such as hexane . in this operation , the bottom layer , which contains mostly the phosphonium salt i , is often already present as a solid . the phosphonium salts according to the invention are fairly stable , hydrolysis - resistant solids , which are readily soluble in water and polar solvent . furthermore , they are preparatively very useful compounds , which can be easily converted in one step to other interesting aromatic compounds having partially fluorinated side chains . thus , when the phosphonium salts i are heated , cleavage of the carbon - oxygen bond at the carbonyl carbon atom takes place , and a molecule of phosphoric triamide p ( 0 ) ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 is eliminated with substitution by the halide ion . in this reaction , aromatic compounds of the general formula v ## str6 ## which are known per se and contain bromine or iodine at the α - position of the fluorinated side chain and in which r 1 to r 5 and y have the above - mentioned meanings are formed . in most cases , this cleavage proceeds almost quantitatively . for this purpose , the phosphonium salt is heated undiluted or in an inert solvent , for example one having a boiling point of at least the melting temperature of the phosphonium salt , such as methyl isobutyl ketone , tetrahydronapthalene , usually to temperatures above melting point . if a solvent is used , the conversion takes place even at temperatures below the melting point . in the case of individual phosphonium salts , for example the product from example 5 , it is also possible to use fairly low - boiling solvents , such as acetone . the reaction conditions are not critical ; the two reaction products are easily separated by distillation . in a further step , the halides v thus obtained can be easily reduced to the corresponding α - hydrogen perfluoroalkyl aromatics of the formula v in which x denotes hydrogen . the reduction can be carried out by reaction with hydrogen on noble metal catalysts , such as platinum on activated carbon , or more simply by thermal reaction of the halide v with an organic , hydrogen - releasing compound , such as reactive alkyl aromatics , such as tetrahydronaphthalene or diphenylmethane . for this purpose , the compound to be reduced is heated with the alkyl aromatic to temperatures of usually 160 ° c . to 220 ° c . this reduction can also be carried out in one step , starting from the phosphonium salts i , since under these reaction conditions a rapid conversion to the halide v takes place . the reaction product can be isolated , for example by distillation . this reaction sequence provides a conventient access to aromatic compounds of the structure v having fluorinated side chains . these compounds are interesting intermediates , which previously could only be prepared in complicated and multi - step syntheses . the structures of the compounds according to examples 1 to 7 and their most important physical data are summarized in the table . in as far as solvent mixtures were used in the examples for recrystallization , a ratio by volume of 1 : 1 was used , it being possible , however , to achieve optimizations , even with respect to the yield , by changing the ratio . ( 1 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 26 . 5 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzaldhyde in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . over a period of half an hour , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are then metered in with stirring . after 4 hours at - 70 ° c ., the aldehyde had been converted according to ir spectroscopy . the reaction mixture was then slowly heated to room temperature , and the solvent evaporated under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the crude product from methyl t - butyl ether / ethyl acetate gave 97 . 2 g ( 77 % of yield ) of colorless crystals of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide of melting point 129 ° c . ( 2 ) in a round - bottom flask , 61 . 7 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are added with stirring and in the absence of moisture at about 0 ° c . to a solution of 39 . 6 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorobenzaldehyde in 150 ml of butyronitrile . 42 . 5 g ( 0 . 28 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are then passed into the solution at 20 ° to 25 ° c . at the rate at which it is consumed . after about 4 hours , the conversion was complete . the reaction mixture was extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 123 g ) from tetrahydrofuran gave 104 g ( 75 % of yield ) of [ 1 -( 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless hygroscopic crystals of melting point 123 ° to 124 ° c . ( 3 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide were condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 34 . 3 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . at this temperature , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide were then added dropwise over a period of one hour and with thorough stirring . after a further 6 hours , the reaction mixture was slowly warmed to room temperature and extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 161 g ) from tetrahydrofuran / acetone gave 121 g ( 85 % of yield ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless crystals of melting point 168 ° c . the compounds according to examples 4 to 7 listed in the table were prepared by the process according to example 3 . ( 8 ) in a distillation apparatus , 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( obtained according to example 1 ) were melted and heated to 140 ° c . for a short time . the subsequent distillation gave 23 . 5 g ( 99 % of yield ) of ( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene ( b . p . 68 ° c ./ 15 mbar ) and also 24 . 9 g ( 95 % of yield ) of phosphoric tris ( diethyl ) amide as additional product . ( 9 ) in a round - bottom flask equipped with reflux condenser , 53 . 2 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) [ 1 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( product from example 5 ) were refluxed in 80 ml of methyl isobutyl ketone for 10 minutes . the subsequent distillation gave 22 . 2 g ( 83 % of yield ) of 1 -( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl )- 4 - methoxybenzene ( b . p . 108 ° to 110 ° c ./ 8 mbar ). ( 10 ) in distillation apparatus , a mixture of 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 1 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene were heated for 2 hours at about 200 ° c . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a small column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 140 ° c . the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 40 mbar , after the reaction was completed . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 10 . 2 g ( 64 % of yield ) of ( 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene of b . p . 71 ° to 72 ° c ./ 100 mbar . ( 11 ) in a distillation apparatus , a mixture of 57 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 3 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene was heated at 200 ° c . for 3 hours . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 160 ° c . after the reaction was completed , the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 20 mbar . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 12 . 8 g ( 56 % of yield ) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropane ( b . p . 83 ° to 84 ° c ./ 100 mbar ). the fact that in the reaction of the starting products used according to the invention initially a salt - like adduct of the formula vi is formed , which differs from the compounds i according to the invention by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halides with a formation of esters , is confirmed by the following comparative experiment with respect to example 3 : as in example 3 , the same amounts of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone , ch 2 cl 2 , trifluromethyl bromide and phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are combined . four hours after the addition of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide was complete , 35 . 1 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were added . the mixture was subsequently stirred at - 70 ° c . for 2 hours . after warming the reaction mixture to room temperature , 300 ml of hexane were added . after phase separation , the bottom layer was again carefully extracted with hexane . the combined hexane layers were concentrated and distilled under reduced pressure . this gave 32 . 5 g ( 75 %) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropyl 2 - benzoate of boiling point 96 ° to 97 ° c ./ 0 . 1 mbar . ______________________________________c h f . sup . 19 f - nmr | ppm | ______________________________________ ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) cf . sub . 3found found found ( 55 . 18 ) ( 2 . 89 ) ( 32 . 74 ) - 70 . 555 . 0 2 . 9 32 . 7______________________________________ in a different experiment , 11 . 4 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of the phosphonium salt from example 3 and 2 . 8 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were stirred in a round - bottom flask in 50 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . even after two hours of refluxing , the two starting materials were still present side by side without change ; the formation of the ester described above was not observed . table__________________________________________________________________________ ## str7 ## m . p . [° c .] c h f ( recrystallized ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) . sup . 19 fnmr [ ppm ] ex . r y from ) found found found cf . sub . 3 ( cdcl . sub . 3 ) yield__________________________________________________________________________1 h h 129 ( 47 . 81 ) ( 7 . 22 ) ( 11 . 34 ) - 76 . 4 77 % ( ea / mtbe ) 47 . 7 7 . 4 10 . 72 2 - cl , 6 - f h 123 - 4 ( 43 . 3 ) ( 6 . 18 ) ( 13 . 7 ) - 75 . 4 75 % ( thf ) 43 6 . 1 13 . 63 h cf . sub . 3 168 ( 44 . 22 ) ( 5 . 88 ) ( 19 . 98 ) - 71 . 2 85 % ( thf / acetone ) 43 . 8 6 . 1 19 . 94 4 - ch . sub . 3 h 148 ( 48 . 84 ) ( 7 . 42 ) ( 11 . 03 ) - 76 71 % ( thf ) 49 . 2 7 . 2 11 . 05 4 - och . sub . 3 h 117 - 8 ( 47 . 37 ) ( 7 . 19 ) ( 10 . 7 ) - 76 . 6 81 % ( acetone ) 47 . 1 7 . 1 10 . 66 3 , 4 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 cf . sub . 3 118 - 9 ( 46 . 16 ) ( 6 . 57 ) ( 19 . 05 ) - 71 . 0 84 % ( mibk ) 46 . 2 6 . 5 18 . 77 h c . sub . 2 f . sub . 5 137 ( 42 . 59 ) ( 5 . 64 ) ( 24 . 5 ) - 66 . 1 61 % ( mibk ) 43 . 2 5 . 6 24 . 4__________________________________________________________________________ ea = ethyl acetate mtbe = methyl t . butyl ether thf = tetrahydrofuran mibk = methyl isobutyl ketone | Is 'Chemistry; Metallurgy' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | d206b4cb1e41f0238cad56f29fe12d73190c167d643739126efa0ceeda597fa8 | 0.15332 | 0.010315 | 0.061768 | 0.000473 | 0.232422 | 0.02002 |
null | the invention relates to 1 - arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt of the formula i ## str3 ## and also to a process for their preparation and their further reaction to give aromatic compounds having a partially fluorinated side chain . the starting materials used are aromatic aldehydes or ketones which are converted into phosphonium salts of the above formula i by reaction with trifluoromethyl halides and phosphorous triamides . it is known to prepare alkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts by reaction of the corresponding alcohols with a reactive halotris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt ( synthesis , 1979 , 951 - 2 ). the preparation of trifluormethyl - substituted carbinols , the alcohols on which the phosphonium salts of the formula i are based , by transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to carbonyl compounds is of great interest and has been investigated in many publications . in this process , organometallic compounds of base metals , which are usually prepared from the corresponding trifluoromethyl halide and a metal , such as magnesium , zinc , manganese , etc ., are used . the disadvantage of this process is the usually expensive preparation and lability of the organometallic compounds which must be prepared initially , which manifests itself in the poor reproducibility of the published results ( tetrahedron lett . 26 , 5243 to 5246 ; specifically p . 5245 footnote 4 ). the invention accordingly relates to compounds of the formula i ( see above ) in which the radicals r 1 to r 5 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , which can be perfluorinated , alkoxy or alkylthio each having 1 to 6 , in particular 1 to 3 , carbon atoms , and also halogen ( fluorine , chlorine , bromine , iodine ), in which , however , not more than three of the radicals r 1 to r 5 have a meaning other than hydrogen , y denotes hydrogen or a perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , x is bromine or iodine and , &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; stands for an alkyl radical having 1 to 3 carbon atoms . preferably , no more than two substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen are bound to the aromatic ring . the alkyl , alkoxy and alkylthio substituents can be straight - chain or branched and advantageously contain overall a maximum of 6 , in particular a maximum of 4 , carbon atoms . the invention also relates to a simple one - step process for the preparation of the above - mentioned compounds . this can be achieved by transfer of a trifluoromethyl group to aromatic carbonyl compounds , whereby the preparation and use of the above - mentioned organometallic compounds is avoided , and consists in reacting carbonyl compounds of the general formula ii ## str4 ## with trifluoromethyl halides of the formula cf 3 x ( iii ), in which x is bromine or iodine , and phosphorous tris ( dialkylamides ) ( in other words tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphanes ) of the general formula p ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 ( iv ) to give phosphonium salts of the formula i ( see above ), where in formulae i to iii the radicals are r 1 to r 5 , y and &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; have the above - mentioned meaning . these phosphonium salts are very useful intermediates for syntheses and can be converted - as will be shown later - to aromatics having partially fluorinated side chains , which otherwise are often only accessible with difficulty by other routes . the process according to the invention does not only have the advantage of being simple , but also the advantage that the starting materials are readily accessible and that without exception good yields of phosphonium salts are obtained . trifluoromethyl bromide which is less poisonous and cheaper than trifluoromethyl iodide can be used advantageously for the transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to the carbonyl compounds . the aromatic carbonyl compounds ( ii ) used can be the aldehydes ( y = hydrogen ) or aryl perfluoroalkyl ketones ( y = perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 where n is 1 to 6 ). the aromatic carbonyl compounds can be unsubstituted or can have one or more identical or different substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen . examples of suitable phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amides ( iv ) are tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphane , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphase and tris ( dipropyl - or - isopropylamino ) phosphane ; preferably , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphane p ( n [ ch 2 ch 3 ] 2 ) 3 is used . this phosphane can be produced very easily in high yields by reaction of phosphorus trichloride with diethylamine in a solvent which in inert towards the reactants , for example an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon or a mixture of hydrocarbons . the dialkylamino groups can contain identical or different alkyl groups . in the reaction of the aromatic aldehydes or ketones ( ii ) with a trifluoromethyl halide ( iii ) and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide ( iv ), initially an adduct of the formula ( vi ) is formed ## str5 ## the existence of this compound and the assignment of structure vi becomes plausible from the reactivity observed . this compound differs from compounds i by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halide with the formation of esters and also by the fact that it is converted to the free alcohol by the addition of a proton acid . compounds i according to the invention do not undergo these reactions . the initially formed adducts vi are subject in the reaction mixture to an exothermic rearrangement to the arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts ( i ) above a conversion temperature which , depending on the type of the underlying alcohol , is between - 60 ° c . and + 20 ° c . the reaction of the carbonyl compounds with the trifluoromethyl halide and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide is in general carried out at temperatures of about - 100 ° c . to + 50 ° c ., in particular of - 80 ° to + 20 ° c . in the case of carbonyl compounds of very low reactivity it is advantageous to work at temperatures above - 40 ° c . and , for example , up to + 50 ° c . to achieve a rapid conversion . as is known , the reaction time is dependent on the other conditions , in particular on the reaction temperature . in general , the reaction is completed within a period of a few minutes to several hours . the reaction is in general carried out without applying superatmospheric pressure . however , it may be advantageous to work at elevated pressure , especially if the reaction is carried out above the boiling temperature ( at atmospheric pressure ) of the trifluoromethyl halide . this means that in practice the reaction is carried out at least at the internal pressure . advantageously , the present process is carried out under anhydrous conditions in the presence of a solvent or diluent which is inert towards the reactants . in particular aprotic liquids are used as liquids of this type . the liquids used are , for example , halogenated hydrocarbons , such as methylene chloride , tetrachloroethane , nitriles , for example acetonitrile or homologues thereof , such as butyronitrile or benzonitrile , esters , such as diethyl carbonate or ethylene carbonate , and ethers , such as tetrahydrofuran or dimethoxyethane . the solvent should , if possible , be anhydrous . it is advantageous to ensure that during the entire duration of the reaction it is well mixed , for example by stirring , and to keep the reaction product in solution by choosing a suitable solvent . the method and sequence of combining the three components is not critical . the process according to the invention can be carried out , for example , in such a manner that the solvent , the carbonyl compound and a further component are initially introduced and the third component is metered in . however , it is also possible to combine all three components simultaneously . the other reactants are usually used in at least an equivalent amount with respect to the carbonyl compound ii , but often they are used in an excess of , for example , up to 25 %. the reaction mixture can be worked up , for example , by freeing it from the solvent under reduced pressure and recrystallizing the resulting residue . when isolating the phosphonium salt , it may be advantageous first to remove biproducts and some of the solvent by extraction of the reaction mixture with a non - porous solvent , for example a hydrocarbon such as hexane . in this operation , the bottom layer , which contains mostly the phosphonium salt i , is often already present as a solid . the phosphonium salts according to the invention are fairly stable , hydrolysis - resistant solids , which are readily soluble in water and polar solvent . furthermore , they are preparatively very useful compounds , which can be easily converted in one step to other interesting aromatic compounds having partially fluorinated side chains . thus , when the phosphonium salts i are heated , cleavage of the carbon - oxygen bond at the carbonyl carbon atom takes place , and a molecule of phosphoric triamide p ( 0 ) ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 is eliminated with substitution by the halide ion . in this reaction , aromatic compounds of the general formula v ## str6 ## which are known per se and contain bromine or iodine at the α - position of the fluorinated side chain and in which r 1 to r 5 and y have the above - mentioned meanings are formed . in most cases , this cleavage proceeds almost quantitatively . for this purpose , the phosphonium salt is heated undiluted or in an inert solvent , for example one having a boiling point of at least the melting temperature of the phosphonium salt , such as methyl isobutyl ketone , tetrahydronapthalene , usually to temperatures above melting point . if a solvent is used , the conversion takes place even at temperatures below the melting point . in the case of individual phosphonium salts , for example the product from example 5 , it is also possible to use fairly low - boiling solvents , such as acetone . the reaction conditions are not critical ; the two reaction products are easily separated by distillation . in a further step , the halides v thus obtained can be easily reduced to the corresponding α - hydrogen perfluoroalkyl aromatics of the formula v in which x denotes hydrogen . the reduction can be carried out by reaction with hydrogen on noble metal catalysts , such as platinum on activated carbon , or more simply by thermal reaction of the halide v with an organic , hydrogen - releasing compound , such as reactive alkyl aromatics , such as tetrahydronaphthalene or diphenylmethane . for this purpose , the compound to be reduced is heated with the alkyl aromatic to temperatures of usually 160 ° c . to 220 ° c . this reduction can also be carried out in one step , starting from the phosphonium salts i , since under these reaction conditions a rapid conversion to the halide v takes place . the reaction product can be isolated , for example by distillation . this reaction sequence provides a conventient access to aromatic compounds of the structure v having fluorinated side chains . these compounds are interesting intermediates , which previously could only be prepared in complicated and multi - step syntheses . the structures of the compounds according to examples 1 to 7 and their most important physical data are summarized in the table . in as far as solvent mixtures were used in the examples for recrystallization , a ratio by volume of 1 : 1 was used , it being possible , however , to achieve optimizations , even with respect to the yield , by changing the ratio . ( 1 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 26 . 5 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzaldhyde in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . over a period of half an hour , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are then metered in with stirring . after 4 hours at - 70 ° c ., the aldehyde had been converted according to ir spectroscopy . the reaction mixture was then slowly heated to room temperature , and the solvent evaporated under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the crude product from methyl t - butyl ether / ethyl acetate gave 97 . 2 g ( 77 % of yield ) of colorless crystals of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide of melting point 129 ° c . ( 2 ) in a round - bottom flask , 61 . 7 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are added with stirring and in the absence of moisture at about 0 ° c . to a solution of 39 . 6 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorobenzaldehyde in 150 ml of butyronitrile . 42 . 5 g ( 0 . 28 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are then passed into the solution at 20 ° to 25 ° c . at the rate at which it is consumed . after about 4 hours , the conversion was complete . the reaction mixture was extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 123 g ) from tetrahydrofuran gave 104 g ( 75 % of yield ) of [ 1 -( 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless hygroscopic crystals of melting point 123 ° to 124 ° c . ( 3 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide were condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 34 . 3 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . at this temperature , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide were then added dropwise over a period of one hour and with thorough stirring . after a further 6 hours , the reaction mixture was slowly warmed to room temperature and extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 161 g ) from tetrahydrofuran / acetone gave 121 g ( 85 % of yield ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless crystals of melting point 168 ° c . the compounds according to examples 4 to 7 listed in the table were prepared by the process according to example 3 . ( 8 ) in a distillation apparatus , 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( obtained according to example 1 ) were melted and heated to 140 ° c . for a short time . the subsequent distillation gave 23 . 5 g ( 99 % of yield ) of ( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene ( b . p . 68 ° c ./ 15 mbar ) and also 24 . 9 g ( 95 % of yield ) of phosphoric tris ( diethyl ) amide as additional product . ( 9 ) in a round - bottom flask equipped with reflux condenser , 53 . 2 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) [ 1 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( product from example 5 ) were refluxed in 80 ml of methyl isobutyl ketone for 10 minutes . the subsequent distillation gave 22 . 2 g ( 83 % of yield ) of 1 -( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl )- 4 - methoxybenzene ( b . p . 108 ° to 110 ° c ./ 8 mbar ). ( 10 ) in distillation apparatus , a mixture of 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 1 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene were heated for 2 hours at about 200 ° c . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a small column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 140 ° c . the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 40 mbar , after the reaction was completed . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 10 . 2 g ( 64 % of yield ) of ( 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene of b . p . 71 ° to 72 ° c ./ 100 mbar . ( 11 ) in a distillation apparatus , a mixture of 57 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 3 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene was heated at 200 ° c . for 3 hours . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 160 ° c . after the reaction was completed , the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 20 mbar . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 12 . 8 g ( 56 % of yield ) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropane ( b . p . 83 ° to 84 ° c ./ 100 mbar ). the fact that in the reaction of the starting products used according to the invention initially a salt - like adduct of the formula vi is formed , which differs from the compounds i according to the invention by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halides with a formation of esters , is confirmed by the following comparative experiment with respect to example 3 : as in example 3 , the same amounts of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone , ch 2 cl 2 , trifluromethyl bromide and phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are combined . four hours after the addition of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide was complete , 35 . 1 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were added . the mixture was subsequently stirred at - 70 ° c . for 2 hours . after warming the reaction mixture to room temperature , 300 ml of hexane were added . after phase separation , the bottom layer was again carefully extracted with hexane . the combined hexane layers were concentrated and distilled under reduced pressure . this gave 32 . 5 g ( 75 %) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropyl 2 - benzoate of boiling point 96 ° to 97 ° c ./ 0 . 1 mbar . ______________________________________c h f . sup . 19 f - nmr | ppm | ______________________________________ ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) cf . sub . 3found found found ( 55 . 18 ) ( 2 . 89 ) ( 32 . 74 ) - 70 . 555 . 0 2 . 9 32 . 7______________________________________ in a different experiment , 11 . 4 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of the phosphonium salt from example 3 and 2 . 8 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were stirred in a round - bottom flask in 50 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . even after two hours of refluxing , the two starting materials were still present side by side without change ; the formation of the ester described above was not observed . table__________________________________________________________________________ ## str7 ## m . p . [° c .] c h f ( recrystallized ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) . sup . 19 fnmr [ ppm ] ex . r y from ) found found found cf . sub . 3 ( cdcl . sub . 3 ) yield__________________________________________________________________________1 h h 129 ( 47 . 81 ) ( 7 . 22 ) ( 11 . 34 ) - 76 . 4 77 % ( ea / mtbe ) 47 . 7 7 . 4 10 . 72 2 - cl , 6 - f h 123 - 4 ( 43 . 3 ) ( 6 . 18 ) ( 13 . 7 ) - 75 . 4 75 % ( thf ) 43 6 . 1 13 . 63 h cf . sub . 3 168 ( 44 . 22 ) ( 5 . 88 ) ( 19 . 98 ) - 71 . 2 85 % ( thf / acetone ) 43 . 8 6 . 1 19 . 94 4 - ch . sub . 3 h 148 ( 48 . 84 ) ( 7 . 42 ) ( 11 . 03 ) - 76 71 % ( thf ) 49 . 2 7 . 2 11 . 05 4 - och . sub . 3 h 117 - 8 ( 47 . 37 ) ( 7 . 19 ) ( 10 . 7 ) - 76 . 6 81 % ( acetone ) 47 . 1 7 . 1 10 . 66 3 , 4 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 cf . sub . 3 118 - 9 ( 46 . 16 ) ( 6 . 57 ) ( 19 . 05 ) - 71 . 0 84 % ( mibk ) 46 . 2 6 . 5 18 . 77 h c . sub . 2 f . sub . 5 137 ( 42 . 59 ) ( 5 . 64 ) ( 24 . 5 ) - 66 . 1 61 % ( mibk ) 43 . 2 5 . 6 24 . 4__________________________________________________________________________ ea = ethyl acetate mtbe = methyl t . butyl ether thf = tetrahydrofuran mibk = methyl isobutyl ketone | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | d206b4cb1e41f0238cad56f29fe12d73190c167d643739126efa0ceeda597fa8 | 0.269531 | 0.00071 | 0.168945 | 0.00007 | 0.330078 | 0.010681 |
null | the invention relates to 1 - arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt of the formula i ## str3 ## and also to a process for their preparation and their further reaction to give aromatic compounds having a partially fluorinated side chain . the starting materials used are aromatic aldehydes or ketones which are converted into phosphonium salts of the above formula i by reaction with trifluoromethyl halides and phosphorous triamides . it is known to prepare alkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts by reaction of the corresponding alcohols with a reactive halotris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt ( synthesis , 1979 , 951 - 2 ). the preparation of trifluormethyl - substituted carbinols , the alcohols on which the phosphonium salts of the formula i are based , by transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to carbonyl compounds is of great interest and has been investigated in many publications . in this process , organometallic compounds of base metals , which are usually prepared from the corresponding trifluoromethyl halide and a metal , such as magnesium , zinc , manganese , etc ., are used . the disadvantage of this process is the usually expensive preparation and lability of the organometallic compounds which must be prepared initially , which manifests itself in the poor reproducibility of the published results ( tetrahedron lett . 26 , 5243 to 5246 ; specifically p . 5245 footnote 4 ). the invention accordingly relates to compounds of the formula i ( see above ) in which the radicals r 1 to r 5 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , which can be perfluorinated , alkoxy or alkylthio each having 1 to 6 , in particular 1 to 3 , carbon atoms , and also halogen ( fluorine , chlorine , bromine , iodine ), in which , however , not more than three of the radicals r 1 to r 5 have a meaning other than hydrogen , y denotes hydrogen or a perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , x is bromine or iodine and , &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; stands for an alkyl radical having 1 to 3 carbon atoms . preferably , no more than two substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen are bound to the aromatic ring . the alkyl , alkoxy and alkylthio substituents can be straight - chain or branched and advantageously contain overall a maximum of 6 , in particular a maximum of 4 , carbon atoms . the invention also relates to a simple one - step process for the preparation of the above - mentioned compounds . this can be achieved by transfer of a trifluoromethyl group to aromatic carbonyl compounds , whereby the preparation and use of the above - mentioned organometallic compounds is avoided , and consists in reacting carbonyl compounds of the general formula ii ## str4 ## with trifluoromethyl halides of the formula cf 3 x ( iii ), in which x is bromine or iodine , and phosphorous tris ( dialkylamides ) ( in other words tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphanes ) of the general formula p ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 ( iv ) to give phosphonium salts of the formula i ( see above ), where in formulae i to iii the radicals are r 1 to r 5 , y and &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; have the above - mentioned meaning . these phosphonium salts are very useful intermediates for syntheses and can be converted - as will be shown later - to aromatics having partially fluorinated side chains , which otherwise are often only accessible with difficulty by other routes . the process according to the invention does not only have the advantage of being simple , but also the advantage that the starting materials are readily accessible and that without exception good yields of phosphonium salts are obtained . trifluoromethyl bromide which is less poisonous and cheaper than trifluoromethyl iodide can be used advantageously for the transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to the carbonyl compounds . the aromatic carbonyl compounds ( ii ) used can be the aldehydes ( y = hydrogen ) or aryl perfluoroalkyl ketones ( y = perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 where n is 1 to 6 ). the aromatic carbonyl compounds can be unsubstituted or can have one or more identical or different substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen . examples of suitable phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amides ( iv ) are tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphane , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphase and tris ( dipropyl - or - isopropylamino ) phosphane ; preferably , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphane p ( n [ ch 2 ch 3 ] 2 ) 3 is used . this phosphane can be produced very easily in high yields by reaction of phosphorus trichloride with diethylamine in a solvent which in inert towards the reactants , for example an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon or a mixture of hydrocarbons . the dialkylamino groups can contain identical or different alkyl groups . in the reaction of the aromatic aldehydes or ketones ( ii ) with a trifluoromethyl halide ( iii ) and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide ( iv ), initially an adduct of the formula ( vi ) is formed ## str5 ## the existence of this compound and the assignment of structure vi becomes plausible from the reactivity observed . this compound differs from compounds i by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halide with the formation of esters and also by the fact that it is converted to the free alcohol by the addition of a proton acid . compounds i according to the invention do not undergo these reactions . the initially formed adducts vi are subject in the reaction mixture to an exothermic rearrangement to the arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts ( i ) above a conversion temperature which , depending on the type of the underlying alcohol , is between - 60 ° c . and + 20 ° c . the reaction of the carbonyl compounds with the trifluoromethyl halide and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide is in general carried out at temperatures of about - 100 ° c . to + 50 ° c ., in particular of - 80 ° to + 20 ° c . in the case of carbonyl compounds of very low reactivity it is advantageous to work at temperatures above - 40 ° c . and , for example , up to + 50 ° c . to achieve a rapid conversion . as is known , the reaction time is dependent on the other conditions , in particular on the reaction temperature . in general , the reaction is completed within a period of a few minutes to several hours . the reaction is in general carried out without applying superatmospheric pressure . however , it may be advantageous to work at elevated pressure , especially if the reaction is carried out above the boiling temperature ( at atmospheric pressure ) of the trifluoromethyl halide . this means that in practice the reaction is carried out at least at the internal pressure . advantageously , the present process is carried out under anhydrous conditions in the presence of a solvent or diluent which is inert towards the reactants . in particular aprotic liquids are used as liquids of this type . the liquids used are , for example , halogenated hydrocarbons , such as methylene chloride , tetrachloroethane , nitriles , for example acetonitrile or homologues thereof , such as butyronitrile or benzonitrile , esters , such as diethyl carbonate or ethylene carbonate , and ethers , such as tetrahydrofuran or dimethoxyethane . the solvent should , if possible , be anhydrous . it is advantageous to ensure that during the entire duration of the reaction it is well mixed , for example by stirring , and to keep the reaction product in solution by choosing a suitable solvent . the method and sequence of combining the three components is not critical . the process according to the invention can be carried out , for example , in such a manner that the solvent , the carbonyl compound and a further component are initially introduced and the third component is metered in . however , it is also possible to combine all three components simultaneously . the other reactants are usually used in at least an equivalent amount with respect to the carbonyl compound ii , but often they are used in an excess of , for example , up to 25 %. the reaction mixture can be worked up , for example , by freeing it from the solvent under reduced pressure and recrystallizing the resulting residue . when isolating the phosphonium salt , it may be advantageous first to remove biproducts and some of the solvent by extraction of the reaction mixture with a non - porous solvent , for example a hydrocarbon such as hexane . in this operation , the bottom layer , which contains mostly the phosphonium salt i , is often already present as a solid . the phosphonium salts according to the invention are fairly stable , hydrolysis - resistant solids , which are readily soluble in water and polar solvent . furthermore , they are preparatively very useful compounds , which can be easily converted in one step to other interesting aromatic compounds having partially fluorinated side chains . thus , when the phosphonium salts i are heated , cleavage of the carbon - oxygen bond at the carbonyl carbon atom takes place , and a molecule of phosphoric triamide p ( 0 ) ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 is eliminated with substitution by the halide ion . in this reaction , aromatic compounds of the general formula v ## str6 ## which are known per se and contain bromine or iodine at the α - position of the fluorinated side chain and in which r 1 to r 5 and y have the above - mentioned meanings are formed . in most cases , this cleavage proceeds almost quantitatively . for this purpose , the phosphonium salt is heated undiluted or in an inert solvent , for example one having a boiling point of at least the melting temperature of the phosphonium salt , such as methyl isobutyl ketone , tetrahydronapthalene , usually to temperatures above melting point . if a solvent is used , the conversion takes place even at temperatures below the melting point . in the case of individual phosphonium salts , for example the product from example 5 , it is also possible to use fairly low - boiling solvents , such as acetone . the reaction conditions are not critical ; the two reaction products are easily separated by distillation . in a further step , the halides v thus obtained can be easily reduced to the corresponding α - hydrogen perfluoroalkyl aromatics of the formula v in which x denotes hydrogen . the reduction can be carried out by reaction with hydrogen on noble metal catalysts , such as platinum on activated carbon , or more simply by thermal reaction of the halide v with an organic , hydrogen - releasing compound , such as reactive alkyl aromatics , such as tetrahydronaphthalene or diphenylmethane . for this purpose , the compound to be reduced is heated with the alkyl aromatic to temperatures of usually 160 ° c . to 220 ° c . this reduction can also be carried out in one step , starting from the phosphonium salts i , since under these reaction conditions a rapid conversion to the halide v takes place . the reaction product can be isolated , for example by distillation . this reaction sequence provides a conventient access to aromatic compounds of the structure v having fluorinated side chains . these compounds are interesting intermediates , which previously could only be prepared in complicated and multi - step syntheses . the structures of the compounds according to examples 1 to 7 and their most important physical data are summarized in the table . in as far as solvent mixtures were used in the examples for recrystallization , a ratio by volume of 1 : 1 was used , it being possible , however , to achieve optimizations , even with respect to the yield , by changing the ratio . ( 1 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 26 . 5 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzaldhyde in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . over a period of half an hour , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are then metered in with stirring . after 4 hours at - 70 ° c ., the aldehyde had been converted according to ir spectroscopy . the reaction mixture was then slowly heated to room temperature , and the solvent evaporated under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the crude product from methyl t - butyl ether / ethyl acetate gave 97 . 2 g ( 77 % of yield ) of colorless crystals of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide of melting point 129 ° c . ( 2 ) in a round - bottom flask , 61 . 7 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are added with stirring and in the absence of moisture at about 0 ° c . to a solution of 39 . 6 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorobenzaldehyde in 150 ml of butyronitrile . 42 . 5 g ( 0 . 28 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are then passed into the solution at 20 ° to 25 ° c . at the rate at which it is consumed . after about 4 hours , the conversion was complete . the reaction mixture was extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 123 g ) from tetrahydrofuran gave 104 g ( 75 % of yield ) of [ 1 -( 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless hygroscopic crystals of melting point 123 ° to 124 ° c . ( 3 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide were condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 34 . 3 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . at this temperature , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide were then added dropwise over a period of one hour and with thorough stirring . after a further 6 hours , the reaction mixture was slowly warmed to room temperature and extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 161 g ) from tetrahydrofuran / acetone gave 121 g ( 85 % of yield ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless crystals of melting point 168 ° c . the compounds according to examples 4 to 7 listed in the table were prepared by the process according to example 3 . ( 8 ) in a distillation apparatus , 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( obtained according to example 1 ) were melted and heated to 140 ° c . for a short time . the subsequent distillation gave 23 . 5 g ( 99 % of yield ) of ( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene ( b . p . 68 ° c ./ 15 mbar ) and also 24 . 9 g ( 95 % of yield ) of phosphoric tris ( diethyl ) amide as additional product . ( 9 ) in a round - bottom flask equipped with reflux condenser , 53 . 2 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) [ 1 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( product from example 5 ) were refluxed in 80 ml of methyl isobutyl ketone for 10 minutes . the subsequent distillation gave 22 . 2 g ( 83 % of yield ) of 1 -( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl )- 4 - methoxybenzene ( b . p . 108 ° to 110 ° c ./ 8 mbar ). ( 10 ) in distillation apparatus , a mixture of 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 1 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene were heated for 2 hours at about 200 ° c . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a small column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 140 ° c . the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 40 mbar , after the reaction was completed . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 10 . 2 g ( 64 % of yield ) of ( 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene of b . p . 71 ° to 72 ° c ./ 100 mbar . ( 11 ) in a distillation apparatus , a mixture of 57 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 3 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene was heated at 200 ° c . for 3 hours . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 160 ° c . after the reaction was completed , the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 20 mbar . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 12 . 8 g ( 56 % of yield ) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropane ( b . p . 83 ° to 84 ° c ./ 100 mbar ). the fact that in the reaction of the starting products used according to the invention initially a salt - like adduct of the formula vi is formed , which differs from the compounds i according to the invention by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halides with a formation of esters , is confirmed by the following comparative experiment with respect to example 3 : as in example 3 , the same amounts of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone , ch 2 cl 2 , trifluromethyl bromide and phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are combined . four hours after the addition of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide was complete , 35 . 1 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were added . the mixture was subsequently stirred at - 70 ° c . for 2 hours . after warming the reaction mixture to room temperature , 300 ml of hexane were added . after phase separation , the bottom layer was again carefully extracted with hexane . the combined hexane layers were concentrated and distilled under reduced pressure . this gave 32 . 5 g ( 75 %) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropyl 2 - benzoate of boiling point 96 ° to 97 ° c ./ 0 . 1 mbar . ______________________________________c h f . sup . 19 f - nmr | ppm | ______________________________________ ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) cf . sub . 3found found found ( 55 . 18 ) ( 2 . 89 ) ( 32 . 74 ) - 70 . 555 . 0 2 . 9 32 . 7______________________________________ in a different experiment , 11 . 4 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of the phosphonium salt from example 3 and 2 . 8 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were stirred in a round - bottom flask in 50 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . even after two hours of refluxing , the two starting materials were still present side by side without change ; the formation of the ester described above was not observed . table__________________________________________________________________________ ## str7 ## m . p . [° c .] c h f ( recrystallized ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) . sup . 19 fnmr [ ppm ] ex . r y from ) found found found cf . sub . 3 ( cdcl . sub . 3 ) yield__________________________________________________________________________1 h h 129 ( 47 . 81 ) ( 7 . 22 ) ( 11 . 34 ) - 76 . 4 77 % ( ea / mtbe ) 47 . 7 7 . 4 10 . 72 2 - cl , 6 - f h 123 - 4 ( 43 . 3 ) ( 6 . 18 ) ( 13 . 7 ) - 75 . 4 75 % ( thf ) 43 6 . 1 13 . 63 h cf . sub . 3 168 ( 44 . 22 ) ( 5 . 88 ) ( 19 . 98 ) - 71 . 2 85 % ( thf / acetone ) 43 . 8 6 . 1 19 . 94 4 - ch . sub . 3 h 148 ( 48 . 84 ) ( 7 . 42 ) ( 11 . 03 ) - 76 71 % ( thf ) 49 . 2 7 . 2 11 . 05 4 - och . sub . 3 h 117 - 8 ( 47 . 37 ) ( 7 . 19 ) ( 10 . 7 ) - 76 . 6 81 % ( acetone ) 47 . 1 7 . 1 10 . 66 3 , 4 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 cf . sub . 3 118 - 9 ( 46 . 16 ) ( 6 . 57 ) ( 19 . 05 ) - 71 . 0 84 % ( mibk ) 46 . 2 6 . 5 18 . 77 h c . sub . 2 f . sub . 5 137 ( 42 . 59 ) ( 5 . 64 ) ( 24 . 5 ) - 66 . 1 61 % ( mibk ) 43 . 2 5 . 6 24 . 4__________________________________________________________________________ ea = ethyl acetate mtbe = methyl t . butyl ether thf = tetrahydrofuran mibk = methyl isobutyl ketone | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Is 'Textiles; Paper' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | d206b4cb1e41f0238cad56f29fe12d73190c167d643739126efa0ceeda597fa8 | 0.269531 | 0.000805 | 0.168945 | 0.000016 | 0.330078 | 0.014954 |
null | the invention relates to 1 - arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt of the formula i ## str3 ## and also to a process for their preparation and their further reaction to give aromatic compounds having a partially fluorinated side chain . the starting materials used are aromatic aldehydes or ketones which are converted into phosphonium salts of the above formula i by reaction with trifluoromethyl halides and phosphorous triamides . it is known to prepare alkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts by reaction of the corresponding alcohols with a reactive halotris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt ( synthesis , 1979 , 951 - 2 ). the preparation of trifluormethyl - substituted carbinols , the alcohols on which the phosphonium salts of the formula i are based , by transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to carbonyl compounds is of great interest and has been investigated in many publications . in this process , organometallic compounds of base metals , which are usually prepared from the corresponding trifluoromethyl halide and a metal , such as magnesium , zinc , manganese , etc ., are used . the disadvantage of this process is the usually expensive preparation and lability of the organometallic compounds which must be prepared initially , which manifests itself in the poor reproducibility of the published results ( tetrahedron lett . 26 , 5243 to 5246 ; specifically p . 5245 footnote 4 ). the invention accordingly relates to compounds of the formula i ( see above ) in which the radicals r 1 to r 5 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , which can be perfluorinated , alkoxy or alkylthio each having 1 to 6 , in particular 1 to 3 , carbon atoms , and also halogen ( fluorine , chlorine , bromine , iodine ), in which , however , not more than three of the radicals r 1 to r 5 have a meaning other than hydrogen , y denotes hydrogen or a perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , x is bromine or iodine and , &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; stands for an alkyl radical having 1 to 3 carbon atoms . preferably , no more than two substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen are bound to the aromatic ring . the alkyl , alkoxy and alkylthio substituents can be straight - chain or branched and advantageously contain overall a maximum of 6 , in particular a maximum of 4 , carbon atoms . the invention also relates to a simple one - step process for the preparation of the above - mentioned compounds . this can be achieved by transfer of a trifluoromethyl group to aromatic carbonyl compounds , whereby the preparation and use of the above - mentioned organometallic compounds is avoided , and consists in reacting carbonyl compounds of the general formula ii ## str4 ## with trifluoromethyl halides of the formula cf 3 x ( iii ), in which x is bromine or iodine , and phosphorous tris ( dialkylamides ) ( in other words tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphanes ) of the general formula p ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 ( iv ) to give phosphonium salts of the formula i ( see above ), where in formulae i to iii the radicals are r 1 to r 5 , y and &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; have the above - mentioned meaning . these phosphonium salts are very useful intermediates for syntheses and can be converted - as will be shown later - to aromatics having partially fluorinated side chains , which otherwise are often only accessible with difficulty by other routes . the process according to the invention does not only have the advantage of being simple , but also the advantage that the starting materials are readily accessible and that without exception good yields of phosphonium salts are obtained . trifluoromethyl bromide which is less poisonous and cheaper than trifluoromethyl iodide can be used advantageously for the transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to the carbonyl compounds . the aromatic carbonyl compounds ( ii ) used can be the aldehydes ( y = hydrogen ) or aryl perfluoroalkyl ketones ( y = perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 where n is 1 to 6 ). the aromatic carbonyl compounds can be unsubstituted or can have one or more identical or different substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen . examples of suitable phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amides ( iv ) are tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphane , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphase and tris ( dipropyl - or - isopropylamino ) phosphane ; preferably , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphane p ( n [ ch 2 ch 3 ] 2 ) 3 is used . this phosphane can be produced very easily in high yields by reaction of phosphorus trichloride with diethylamine in a solvent which in inert towards the reactants , for example an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon or a mixture of hydrocarbons . the dialkylamino groups can contain identical or different alkyl groups . in the reaction of the aromatic aldehydes or ketones ( ii ) with a trifluoromethyl halide ( iii ) and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide ( iv ), initially an adduct of the formula ( vi ) is formed ## str5 ## the existence of this compound and the assignment of structure vi becomes plausible from the reactivity observed . this compound differs from compounds i by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halide with the formation of esters and also by the fact that it is converted to the free alcohol by the addition of a proton acid . compounds i according to the invention do not undergo these reactions . the initially formed adducts vi are subject in the reaction mixture to an exothermic rearrangement to the arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts ( i ) above a conversion temperature which , depending on the type of the underlying alcohol , is between - 60 ° c . and + 20 ° c . the reaction of the carbonyl compounds with the trifluoromethyl halide and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide is in general carried out at temperatures of about - 100 ° c . to + 50 ° c ., in particular of - 80 ° to + 20 ° c . in the case of carbonyl compounds of very low reactivity it is advantageous to work at temperatures above - 40 ° c . and , for example , up to + 50 ° c . to achieve a rapid conversion . as is known , the reaction time is dependent on the other conditions , in particular on the reaction temperature . in general , the reaction is completed within a period of a few minutes to several hours . the reaction is in general carried out without applying superatmospheric pressure . however , it may be advantageous to work at elevated pressure , especially if the reaction is carried out above the boiling temperature ( at atmospheric pressure ) of the trifluoromethyl halide . this means that in practice the reaction is carried out at least at the internal pressure . advantageously , the present process is carried out under anhydrous conditions in the presence of a solvent or diluent which is inert towards the reactants . in particular aprotic liquids are used as liquids of this type . the liquids used are , for example , halogenated hydrocarbons , such as methylene chloride , tetrachloroethane , nitriles , for example acetonitrile or homologues thereof , such as butyronitrile or benzonitrile , esters , such as diethyl carbonate or ethylene carbonate , and ethers , such as tetrahydrofuran or dimethoxyethane . the solvent should , if possible , be anhydrous . it is advantageous to ensure that during the entire duration of the reaction it is well mixed , for example by stirring , and to keep the reaction product in solution by choosing a suitable solvent . the method and sequence of combining the three components is not critical . the process according to the invention can be carried out , for example , in such a manner that the solvent , the carbonyl compound and a further component are initially introduced and the third component is metered in . however , it is also possible to combine all three components simultaneously . the other reactants are usually used in at least an equivalent amount with respect to the carbonyl compound ii , but often they are used in an excess of , for example , up to 25 %. the reaction mixture can be worked up , for example , by freeing it from the solvent under reduced pressure and recrystallizing the resulting residue . when isolating the phosphonium salt , it may be advantageous first to remove biproducts and some of the solvent by extraction of the reaction mixture with a non - porous solvent , for example a hydrocarbon such as hexane . in this operation , the bottom layer , which contains mostly the phosphonium salt i , is often already present as a solid . the phosphonium salts according to the invention are fairly stable , hydrolysis - resistant solids , which are readily soluble in water and polar solvent . furthermore , they are preparatively very useful compounds , which can be easily converted in one step to other interesting aromatic compounds having partially fluorinated side chains . thus , when the phosphonium salts i are heated , cleavage of the carbon - oxygen bond at the carbonyl carbon atom takes place , and a molecule of phosphoric triamide p ( 0 ) ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 is eliminated with substitution by the halide ion . in this reaction , aromatic compounds of the general formula v ## str6 ## which are known per se and contain bromine or iodine at the α - position of the fluorinated side chain and in which r 1 to r 5 and y have the above - mentioned meanings are formed . in most cases , this cleavage proceeds almost quantitatively . for this purpose , the phosphonium salt is heated undiluted or in an inert solvent , for example one having a boiling point of at least the melting temperature of the phosphonium salt , such as methyl isobutyl ketone , tetrahydronapthalene , usually to temperatures above melting point . if a solvent is used , the conversion takes place even at temperatures below the melting point . in the case of individual phosphonium salts , for example the product from example 5 , it is also possible to use fairly low - boiling solvents , such as acetone . the reaction conditions are not critical ; the two reaction products are easily separated by distillation . in a further step , the halides v thus obtained can be easily reduced to the corresponding α - hydrogen perfluoroalkyl aromatics of the formula v in which x denotes hydrogen . the reduction can be carried out by reaction with hydrogen on noble metal catalysts , such as platinum on activated carbon , or more simply by thermal reaction of the halide v with an organic , hydrogen - releasing compound , such as reactive alkyl aromatics , such as tetrahydronaphthalene or diphenylmethane . for this purpose , the compound to be reduced is heated with the alkyl aromatic to temperatures of usually 160 ° c . to 220 ° c . this reduction can also be carried out in one step , starting from the phosphonium salts i , since under these reaction conditions a rapid conversion to the halide v takes place . the reaction product can be isolated , for example by distillation . this reaction sequence provides a conventient access to aromatic compounds of the structure v having fluorinated side chains . these compounds are interesting intermediates , which previously could only be prepared in complicated and multi - step syntheses . the structures of the compounds according to examples 1 to 7 and their most important physical data are summarized in the table . in as far as solvent mixtures were used in the examples for recrystallization , a ratio by volume of 1 : 1 was used , it being possible , however , to achieve optimizations , even with respect to the yield , by changing the ratio . ( 1 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 26 . 5 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzaldhyde in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . over a period of half an hour , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are then metered in with stirring . after 4 hours at - 70 ° c ., the aldehyde had been converted according to ir spectroscopy . the reaction mixture was then slowly heated to room temperature , and the solvent evaporated under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the crude product from methyl t - butyl ether / ethyl acetate gave 97 . 2 g ( 77 % of yield ) of colorless crystals of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide of melting point 129 ° c . ( 2 ) in a round - bottom flask , 61 . 7 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are added with stirring and in the absence of moisture at about 0 ° c . to a solution of 39 . 6 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorobenzaldehyde in 150 ml of butyronitrile . 42 . 5 g ( 0 . 28 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are then passed into the solution at 20 ° to 25 ° c . at the rate at which it is consumed . after about 4 hours , the conversion was complete . the reaction mixture was extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 123 g ) from tetrahydrofuran gave 104 g ( 75 % of yield ) of [ 1 -( 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless hygroscopic crystals of melting point 123 ° to 124 ° c . ( 3 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide were condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 34 . 3 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . at this temperature , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide were then added dropwise over a period of one hour and with thorough stirring . after a further 6 hours , the reaction mixture was slowly warmed to room temperature and extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 161 g ) from tetrahydrofuran / acetone gave 121 g ( 85 % of yield ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless crystals of melting point 168 ° c . the compounds according to examples 4 to 7 listed in the table were prepared by the process according to example 3 . ( 8 ) in a distillation apparatus , 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( obtained according to example 1 ) were melted and heated to 140 ° c . for a short time . the subsequent distillation gave 23 . 5 g ( 99 % of yield ) of ( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene ( b . p . 68 ° c ./ 15 mbar ) and also 24 . 9 g ( 95 % of yield ) of phosphoric tris ( diethyl ) amide as additional product . ( 9 ) in a round - bottom flask equipped with reflux condenser , 53 . 2 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) [ 1 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( product from example 5 ) were refluxed in 80 ml of methyl isobutyl ketone for 10 minutes . the subsequent distillation gave 22 . 2 g ( 83 % of yield ) of 1 -( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl )- 4 - methoxybenzene ( b . p . 108 ° to 110 ° c ./ 8 mbar ). ( 10 ) in distillation apparatus , a mixture of 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 1 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene were heated for 2 hours at about 200 ° c . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a small column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 140 ° c . the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 40 mbar , after the reaction was completed . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 10 . 2 g ( 64 % of yield ) of ( 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene of b . p . 71 ° to 72 ° c ./ 100 mbar . ( 11 ) in a distillation apparatus , a mixture of 57 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 3 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene was heated at 200 ° c . for 3 hours . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 160 ° c . after the reaction was completed , the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 20 mbar . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 12 . 8 g ( 56 % of yield ) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropane ( b . p . 83 ° to 84 ° c ./ 100 mbar ). the fact that in the reaction of the starting products used according to the invention initially a salt - like adduct of the formula vi is formed , which differs from the compounds i according to the invention by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halides with a formation of esters , is confirmed by the following comparative experiment with respect to example 3 : as in example 3 , the same amounts of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone , ch 2 cl 2 , trifluromethyl bromide and phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are combined . four hours after the addition of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide was complete , 35 . 1 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were added . the mixture was subsequently stirred at - 70 ° c . for 2 hours . after warming the reaction mixture to room temperature , 300 ml of hexane were added . after phase separation , the bottom layer was again carefully extracted with hexane . the combined hexane layers were concentrated and distilled under reduced pressure . this gave 32 . 5 g ( 75 %) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropyl 2 - benzoate of boiling point 96 ° to 97 ° c ./ 0 . 1 mbar . ______________________________________c h f . sup . 19 f - nmr | ppm | ______________________________________ ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) cf . sub . 3found found found ( 55 . 18 ) ( 2 . 89 ) ( 32 . 74 ) - 70 . 555 . 0 2 . 9 32 . 7______________________________________ in a different experiment , 11 . 4 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of the phosphonium salt from example 3 and 2 . 8 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were stirred in a round - bottom flask in 50 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . even after two hours of refluxing , the two starting materials were still present side by side without change ; the formation of the ester described above was not observed . table__________________________________________________________________________ ## str7 ## m . p . [° c .] c h f ( recrystallized ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) . sup . 19 fnmr [ ppm ] ex . r y from ) found found found cf . sub . 3 ( cdcl . sub . 3 ) yield__________________________________________________________________________1 h h 129 ( 47 . 81 ) ( 7 . 22 ) ( 11 . 34 ) - 76 . 4 77 % ( ea / mtbe ) 47 . 7 7 . 4 10 . 72 2 - cl , 6 - f h 123 - 4 ( 43 . 3 ) ( 6 . 18 ) ( 13 . 7 ) - 75 . 4 75 % ( thf ) 43 6 . 1 13 . 63 h cf . sub . 3 168 ( 44 . 22 ) ( 5 . 88 ) ( 19 . 98 ) - 71 . 2 85 % ( thf / acetone ) 43 . 8 6 . 1 19 . 94 4 - ch . sub . 3 h 148 ( 48 . 84 ) ( 7 . 42 ) ( 11 . 03 ) - 76 71 % ( thf ) 49 . 2 7 . 2 11 . 05 4 - och . sub . 3 h 117 - 8 ( 47 . 37 ) ( 7 . 19 ) ( 10 . 7 ) - 76 . 6 81 % ( acetone ) 47 . 1 7 . 1 10 . 66 3 , 4 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 cf . sub . 3 118 - 9 ( 46 . 16 ) ( 6 . 57 ) ( 19 . 05 ) - 71 . 0 84 % ( mibk ) 46 . 2 6 . 5 18 . 77 h c . sub . 2 f . sub . 5 137 ( 42 . 59 ) ( 5 . 64 ) ( 24 . 5 ) - 66 . 1 61 % ( mibk ) 43 . 2 5 . 6 24 . 4__________________________________________________________________________ ea = ethyl acetate mtbe = methyl t . butyl ether thf = tetrahydrofuran mibk = methyl isobutyl ketone | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | d206b4cb1e41f0238cad56f29fe12d73190c167d643739126efa0ceeda597fa8 | 0.326172 | 0.010986 | 0.125977 | 0.011658 | 0.332031 | 0.054932 |
null | the invention relates to 1 - arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt of the formula i ## str3 ## and also to a process for their preparation and their further reaction to give aromatic compounds having a partially fluorinated side chain . the starting materials used are aromatic aldehydes or ketones which are converted into phosphonium salts of the above formula i by reaction with trifluoromethyl halides and phosphorous triamides . it is known to prepare alkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts by reaction of the corresponding alcohols with a reactive halotris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt ( synthesis , 1979 , 951 - 2 ). the preparation of trifluormethyl - substituted carbinols , the alcohols on which the phosphonium salts of the formula i are based , by transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to carbonyl compounds is of great interest and has been investigated in many publications . in this process , organometallic compounds of base metals , which are usually prepared from the corresponding trifluoromethyl halide and a metal , such as magnesium , zinc , manganese , etc ., are used . the disadvantage of this process is the usually expensive preparation and lability of the organometallic compounds which must be prepared initially , which manifests itself in the poor reproducibility of the published results ( tetrahedron lett . 26 , 5243 to 5246 ; specifically p . 5245 footnote 4 ). the invention accordingly relates to compounds of the formula i ( see above ) in which the radicals r 1 to r 5 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , which can be perfluorinated , alkoxy or alkylthio each having 1 to 6 , in particular 1 to 3 , carbon atoms , and also halogen ( fluorine , chlorine , bromine , iodine ), in which , however , not more than three of the radicals r 1 to r 5 have a meaning other than hydrogen , y denotes hydrogen or a perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , x is bromine or iodine and , &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; stands for an alkyl radical having 1 to 3 carbon atoms . preferably , no more than two substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen are bound to the aromatic ring . the alkyl , alkoxy and alkylthio substituents can be straight - chain or branched and advantageously contain overall a maximum of 6 , in particular a maximum of 4 , carbon atoms . the invention also relates to a simple one - step process for the preparation of the above - mentioned compounds . this can be achieved by transfer of a trifluoromethyl group to aromatic carbonyl compounds , whereby the preparation and use of the above - mentioned organometallic compounds is avoided , and consists in reacting carbonyl compounds of the general formula ii ## str4 ## with trifluoromethyl halides of the formula cf 3 x ( iii ), in which x is bromine or iodine , and phosphorous tris ( dialkylamides ) ( in other words tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphanes ) of the general formula p ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 ( iv ) to give phosphonium salts of the formula i ( see above ), where in formulae i to iii the radicals are r 1 to r 5 , y and &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; have the above - mentioned meaning . these phosphonium salts are very useful intermediates for syntheses and can be converted - as will be shown later - to aromatics having partially fluorinated side chains , which otherwise are often only accessible with difficulty by other routes . the process according to the invention does not only have the advantage of being simple , but also the advantage that the starting materials are readily accessible and that without exception good yields of phosphonium salts are obtained . trifluoromethyl bromide which is less poisonous and cheaper than trifluoromethyl iodide can be used advantageously for the transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to the carbonyl compounds . the aromatic carbonyl compounds ( ii ) used can be the aldehydes ( y = hydrogen ) or aryl perfluoroalkyl ketones ( y = perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 where n is 1 to 6 ). the aromatic carbonyl compounds can be unsubstituted or can have one or more identical or different substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen . examples of suitable phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amides ( iv ) are tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphane , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphase and tris ( dipropyl - or - isopropylamino ) phosphane ; preferably , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphane p ( n [ ch 2 ch 3 ] 2 ) 3 is used . this phosphane can be produced very easily in high yields by reaction of phosphorus trichloride with diethylamine in a solvent which in inert towards the reactants , for example an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon or a mixture of hydrocarbons . the dialkylamino groups can contain identical or different alkyl groups . in the reaction of the aromatic aldehydes or ketones ( ii ) with a trifluoromethyl halide ( iii ) and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide ( iv ), initially an adduct of the formula ( vi ) is formed ## str5 ## the existence of this compound and the assignment of structure vi becomes plausible from the reactivity observed . this compound differs from compounds i by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halide with the formation of esters and also by the fact that it is converted to the free alcohol by the addition of a proton acid . compounds i according to the invention do not undergo these reactions . the initially formed adducts vi are subject in the reaction mixture to an exothermic rearrangement to the arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts ( i ) above a conversion temperature which , depending on the type of the underlying alcohol , is between - 60 ° c . and + 20 ° c . the reaction of the carbonyl compounds with the trifluoromethyl halide and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide is in general carried out at temperatures of about - 100 ° c . to + 50 ° c ., in particular of - 80 ° to + 20 ° c . in the case of carbonyl compounds of very low reactivity it is advantageous to work at temperatures above - 40 ° c . and , for example , up to + 50 ° c . to achieve a rapid conversion . as is known , the reaction time is dependent on the other conditions , in particular on the reaction temperature . in general , the reaction is completed within a period of a few minutes to several hours . the reaction is in general carried out without applying superatmospheric pressure . however , it may be advantageous to work at elevated pressure , especially if the reaction is carried out above the boiling temperature ( at atmospheric pressure ) of the trifluoromethyl halide . this means that in practice the reaction is carried out at least at the internal pressure . advantageously , the present process is carried out under anhydrous conditions in the presence of a solvent or diluent which is inert towards the reactants . in particular aprotic liquids are used as liquids of this type . the liquids used are , for example , halogenated hydrocarbons , such as methylene chloride , tetrachloroethane , nitriles , for example acetonitrile or homologues thereof , such as butyronitrile or benzonitrile , esters , such as diethyl carbonate or ethylene carbonate , and ethers , such as tetrahydrofuran or dimethoxyethane . the solvent should , if possible , be anhydrous . it is advantageous to ensure that during the entire duration of the reaction it is well mixed , for example by stirring , and to keep the reaction product in solution by choosing a suitable solvent . the method and sequence of combining the three components is not critical . the process according to the invention can be carried out , for example , in such a manner that the solvent , the carbonyl compound and a further component are initially introduced and the third component is metered in . however , it is also possible to combine all three components simultaneously . the other reactants are usually used in at least an equivalent amount with respect to the carbonyl compound ii , but often they are used in an excess of , for example , up to 25 %. the reaction mixture can be worked up , for example , by freeing it from the solvent under reduced pressure and recrystallizing the resulting residue . when isolating the phosphonium salt , it may be advantageous first to remove biproducts and some of the solvent by extraction of the reaction mixture with a non - porous solvent , for example a hydrocarbon such as hexane . in this operation , the bottom layer , which contains mostly the phosphonium salt i , is often already present as a solid . the phosphonium salts according to the invention are fairly stable , hydrolysis - resistant solids , which are readily soluble in water and polar solvent . furthermore , they are preparatively very useful compounds , which can be easily converted in one step to other interesting aromatic compounds having partially fluorinated side chains . thus , when the phosphonium salts i are heated , cleavage of the carbon - oxygen bond at the carbonyl carbon atom takes place , and a molecule of phosphoric triamide p ( 0 ) ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 is eliminated with substitution by the halide ion . in this reaction , aromatic compounds of the general formula v ## str6 ## which are known per se and contain bromine or iodine at the α - position of the fluorinated side chain and in which r 1 to r 5 and y have the above - mentioned meanings are formed . in most cases , this cleavage proceeds almost quantitatively . for this purpose , the phosphonium salt is heated undiluted or in an inert solvent , for example one having a boiling point of at least the melting temperature of the phosphonium salt , such as methyl isobutyl ketone , tetrahydronapthalene , usually to temperatures above melting point . if a solvent is used , the conversion takes place even at temperatures below the melting point . in the case of individual phosphonium salts , for example the product from example 5 , it is also possible to use fairly low - boiling solvents , such as acetone . the reaction conditions are not critical ; the two reaction products are easily separated by distillation . in a further step , the halides v thus obtained can be easily reduced to the corresponding α - hydrogen perfluoroalkyl aromatics of the formula v in which x denotes hydrogen . the reduction can be carried out by reaction with hydrogen on noble metal catalysts , such as platinum on activated carbon , or more simply by thermal reaction of the halide v with an organic , hydrogen - releasing compound , such as reactive alkyl aromatics , such as tetrahydronaphthalene or diphenylmethane . for this purpose , the compound to be reduced is heated with the alkyl aromatic to temperatures of usually 160 ° c . to 220 ° c . this reduction can also be carried out in one step , starting from the phosphonium salts i , since under these reaction conditions a rapid conversion to the halide v takes place . the reaction product can be isolated , for example by distillation . this reaction sequence provides a conventient access to aromatic compounds of the structure v having fluorinated side chains . these compounds are interesting intermediates , which previously could only be prepared in complicated and multi - step syntheses . the structures of the compounds according to examples 1 to 7 and their most important physical data are summarized in the table . in as far as solvent mixtures were used in the examples for recrystallization , a ratio by volume of 1 : 1 was used , it being possible , however , to achieve optimizations , even with respect to the yield , by changing the ratio . ( 1 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 26 . 5 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzaldhyde in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . over a period of half an hour , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are then metered in with stirring . after 4 hours at - 70 ° c ., the aldehyde had been converted according to ir spectroscopy . the reaction mixture was then slowly heated to room temperature , and the solvent evaporated under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the crude product from methyl t - butyl ether / ethyl acetate gave 97 . 2 g ( 77 % of yield ) of colorless crystals of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide of melting point 129 ° c . ( 2 ) in a round - bottom flask , 61 . 7 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are added with stirring and in the absence of moisture at about 0 ° c . to a solution of 39 . 6 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorobenzaldehyde in 150 ml of butyronitrile . 42 . 5 g ( 0 . 28 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are then passed into the solution at 20 ° to 25 ° c . at the rate at which it is consumed . after about 4 hours , the conversion was complete . the reaction mixture was extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 123 g ) from tetrahydrofuran gave 104 g ( 75 % of yield ) of [ 1 -( 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless hygroscopic crystals of melting point 123 ° to 124 ° c . ( 3 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide were condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 34 . 3 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . at this temperature , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide were then added dropwise over a period of one hour and with thorough stirring . after a further 6 hours , the reaction mixture was slowly warmed to room temperature and extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 161 g ) from tetrahydrofuran / acetone gave 121 g ( 85 % of yield ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless crystals of melting point 168 ° c . the compounds according to examples 4 to 7 listed in the table were prepared by the process according to example 3 . ( 8 ) in a distillation apparatus , 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( obtained according to example 1 ) were melted and heated to 140 ° c . for a short time . the subsequent distillation gave 23 . 5 g ( 99 % of yield ) of ( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene ( b . p . 68 ° c ./ 15 mbar ) and also 24 . 9 g ( 95 % of yield ) of phosphoric tris ( diethyl ) amide as additional product . ( 9 ) in a round - bottom flask equipped with reflux condenser , 53 . 2 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) [ 1 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( product from example 5 ) were refluxed in 80 ml of methyl isobutyl ketone for 10 minutes . the subsequent distillation gave 22 . 2 g ( 83 % of yield ) of 1 -( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl )- 4 - methoxybenzene ( b . p . 108 ° to 110 ° c ./ 8 mbar ). ( 10 ) in distillation apparatus , a mixture of 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 1 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene were heated for 2 hours at about 200 ° c . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a small column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 140 ° c . the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 40 mbar , after the reaction was completed . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 10 . 2 g ( 64 % of yield ) of ( 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene of b . p . 71 ° to 72 ° c ./ 100 mbar . ( 11 ) in a distillation apparatus , a mixture of 57 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 3 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene was heated at 200 ° c . for 3 hours . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 160 ° c . after the reaction was completed , the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 20 mbar . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 12 . 8 g ( 56 % of yield ) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropane ( b . p . 83 ° to 84 ° c ./ 100 mbar ). the fact that in the reaction of the starting products used according to the invention initially a salt - like adduct of the formula vi is formed , which differs from the compounds i according to the invention by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halides with a formation of esters , is confirmed by the following comparative experiment with respect to example 3 : as in example 3 , the same amounts of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone , ch 2 cl 2 , trifluromethyl bromide and phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are combined . four hours after the addition of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide was complete , 35 . 1 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were added . the mixture was subsequently stirred at - 70 ° c . for 2 hours . after warming the reaction mixture to room temperature , 300 ml of hexane were added . after phase separation , the bottom layer was again carefully extracted with hexane . the combined hexane layers were concentrated and distilled under reduced pressure . this gave 32 . 5 g ( 75 %) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropyl 2 - benzoate of boiling point 96 ° to 97 ° c ./ 0 . 1 mbar . ______________________________________c h f . sup . 19 f - nmr | ppm | ______________________________________ ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) cf . sub . 3found found found ( 55 . 18 ) ( 2 . 89 ) ( 32 . 74 ) - 70 . 555 . 0 2 . 9 32 . 7______________________________________ in a different experiment , 11 . 4 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of the phosphonium salt from example 3 and 2 . 8 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were stirred in a round - bottom flask in 50 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . even after two hours of refluxing , the two starting materials were still present side by side without change ; the formation of the ester described above was not observed . table__________________________________________________________________________ ## str7 ## m . p . [° c .] c h f ( recrystallized ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) . sup . 19 fnmr [ ppm ] ex . r y from ) found found found cf . sub . 3 ( cdcl . sub . 3 ) yield__________________________________________________________________________1 h h 129 ( 47 . 81 ) ( 7 . 22 ) ( 11 . 34 ) - 76 . 4 77 % ( ea / mtbe ) 47 . 7 7 . 4 10 . 72 2 - cl , 6 - f h 123 - 4 ( 43 . 3 ) ( 6 . 18 ) ( 13 . 7 ) - 75 . 4 75 % ( thf ) 43 6 . 1 13 . 63 h cf . sub . 3 168 ( 44 . 22 ) ( 5 . 88 ) ( 19 . 98 ) - 71 . 2 85 % ( thf / acetone ) 43 . 8 6 . 1 19 . 94 4 - ch . sub . 3 h 148 ( 48 . 84 ) ( 7 . 42 ) ( 11 . 03 ) - 76 71 % ( thf ) 49 . 2 7 . 2 11 . 05 4 - och . sub . 3 h 117 - 8 ( 47 . 37 ) ( 7 . 19 ) ( 10 . 7 ) - 76 . 6 81 % ( acetone ) 47 . 1 7 . 1 10 . 66 3 , 4 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 cf . sub . 3 118 - 9 ( 46 . 16 ) ( 6 . 57 ) ( 19 . 05 ) - 71 . 0 84 % ( mibk ) 46 . 2 6 . 5 18 . 77 h c . sub . 2 f . sub . 5 137 ( 42 . 59 ) ( 5 . 64 ) ( 24 . 5 ) - 66 . 1 61 % ( mibk ) 43 . 2 5 . 6 24 . 4__________________________________________________________________________ ea = ethyl acetate mtbe = methyl t . butyl ether thf = tetrahydrofuran mibk = methyl isobutyl ketone | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Is 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | d206b4cb1e41f0238cad56f29fe12d73190c167d643739126efa0ceeda597fa8 | 0.326172 | 0.000969 | 0.125977 | 0.000038 | 0.332031 | 0.0065 |
null | the invention relates to 1 - arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt of the formula i ## str3 ## and also to a process for their preparation and their further reaction to give aromatic compounds having a partially fluorinated side chain . the starting materials used are aromatic aldehydes or ketones which are converted into phosphonium salts of the above formula i by reaction with trifluoromethyl halides and phosphorous triamides . it is known to prepare alkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts by reaction of the corresponding alcohols with a reactive halotris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt ( synthesis , 1979 , 951 - 2 ). the preparation of trifluormethyl - substituted carbinols , the alcohols on which the phosphonium salts of the formula i are based , by transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to carbonyl compounds is of great interest and has been investigated in many publications . in this process , organometallic compounds of base metals , which are usually prepared from the corresponding trifluoromethyl halide and a metal , such as magnesium , zinc , manganese , etc ., are used . the disadvantage of this process is the usually expensive preparation and lability of the organometallic compounds which must be prepared initially , which manifests itself in the poor reproducibility of the published results ( tetrahedron lett . 26 , 5243 to 5246 ; specifically p . 5245 footnote 4 ). the invention accordingly relates to compounds of the formula i ( see above ) in which the radicals r 1 to r 5 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , which can be perfluorinated , alkoxy or alkylthio each having 1 to 6 , in particular 1 to 3 , carbon atoms , and also halogen ( fluorine , chlorine , bromine , iodine ), in which , however , not more than three of the radicals r 1 to r 5 have a meaning other than hydrogen , y denotes hydrogen or a perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , x is bromine or iodine and , &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; stands for an alkyl radical having 1 to 3 carbon atoms . preferably , no more than two substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen are bound to the aromatic ring . the alkyl , alkoxy and alkylthio substituents can be straight - chain or branched and advantageously contain overall a maximum of 6 , in particular a maximum of 4 , carbon atoms . the invention also relates to a simple one - step process for the preparation of the above - mentioned compounds . this can be achieved by transfer of a trifluoromethyl group to aromatic carbonyl compounds , whereby the preparation and use of the above - mentioned organometallic compounds is avoided , and consists in reacting carbonyl compounds of the general formula ii ## str4 ## with trifluoromethyl halides of the formula cf 3 x ( iii ), in which x is bromine or iodine , and phosphorous tris ( dialkylamides ) ( in other words tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphanes ) of the general formula p ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 ( iv ) to give phosphonium salts of the formula i ( see above ), where in formulae i to iii the radicals are r 1 to r 5 , y and &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; have the above - mentioned meaning . these phosphonium salts are very useful intermediates for syntheses and can be converted - as will be shown later - to aromatics having partially fluorinated side chains , which otherwise are often only accessible with difficulty by other routes . the process according to the invention does not only have the advantage of being simple , but also the advantage that the starting materials are readily accessible and that without exception good yields of phosphonium salts are obtained . trifluoromethyl bromide which is less poisonous and cheaper than trifluoromethyl iodide can be used advantageously for the transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to the carbonyl compounds . the aromatic carbonyl compounds ( ii ) used can be the aldehydes ( y = hydrogen ) or aryl perfluoroalkyl ketones ( y = perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 where n is 1 to 6 ). the aromatic carbonyl compounds can be unsubstituted or can have one or more identical or different substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen . examples of suitable phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amides ( iv ) are tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphane , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphase and tris ( dipropyl - or - isopropylamino ) phosphane ; preferably , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphane p ( n [ ch 2 ch 3 ] 2 ) 3 is used . this phosphane can be produced very easily in high yields by reaction of phosphorus trichloride with diethylamine in a solvent which in inert towards the reactants , for example an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon or a mixture of hydrocarbons . the dialkylamino groups can contain identical or different alkyl groups . in the reaction of the aromatic aldehydes or ketones ( ii ) with a trifluoromethyl halide ( iii ) and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide ( iv ), initially an adduct of the formula ( vi ) is formed ## str5 ## the existence of this compound and the assignment of structure vi becomes plausible from the reactivity observed . this compound differs from compounds i by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halide with the formation of esters and also by the fact that it is converted to the free alcohol by the addition of a proton acid . compounds i according to the invention do not undergo these reactions . the initially formed adducts vi are subject in the reaction mixture to an exothermic rearrangement to the arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts ( i ) above a conversion temperature which , depending on the type of the underlying alcohol , is between - 60 ° c . and + 20 ° c . the reaction of the carbonyl compounds with the trifluoromethyl halide and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide is in general carried out at temperatures of about - 100 ° c . to + 50 ° c ., in particular of - 80 ° to + 20 ° c . in the case of carbonyl compounds of very low reactivity it is advantageous to work at temperatures above - 40 ° c . and , for example , up to + 50 ° c . to achieve a rapid conversion . as is known , the reaction time is dependent on the other conditions , in particular on the reaction temperature . in general , the reaction is completed within a period of a few minutes to several hours . the reaction is in general carried out without applying superatmospheric pressure . however , it may be advantageous to work at elevated pressure , especially if the reaction is carried out above the boiling temperature ( at atmospheric pressure ) of the trifluoromethyl halide . this means that in practice the reaction is carried out at least at the internal pressure . advantageously , the present process is carried out under anhydrous conditions in the presence of a solvent or diluent which is inert towards the reactants . in particular aprotic liquids are used as liquids of this type . the liquids used are , for example , halogenated hydrocarbons , such as methylene chloride , tetrachloroethane , nitriles , for example acetonitrile or homologues thereof , such as butyronitrile or benzonitrile , esters , such as diethyl carbonate or ethylene carbonate , and ethers , such as tetrahydrofuran or dimethoxyethane . the solvent should , if possible , be anhydrous . it is advantageous to ensure that during the entire duration of the reaction it is well mixed , for example by stirring , and to keep the reaction product in solution by choosing a suitable solvent . the method and sequence of combining the three components is not critical . the process according to the invention can be carried out , for example , in such a manner that the solvent , the carbonyl compound and a further component are initially introduced and the third component is metered in . however , it is also possible to combine all three components simultaneously . the other reactants are usually used in at least an equivalent amount with respect to the carbonyl compound ii , but often they are used in an excess of , for example , up to 25 %. the reaction mixture can be worked up , for example , by freeing it from the solvent under reduced pressure and recrystallizing the resulting residue . when isolating the phosphonium salt , it may be advantageous first to remove biproducts and some of the solvent by extraction of the reaction mixture with a non - porous solvent , for example a hydrocarbon such as hexane . in this operation , the bottom layer , which contains mostly the phosphonium salt i , is often already present as a solid . the phosphonium salts according to the invention are fairly stable , hydrolysis - resistant solids , which are readily soluble in water and polar solvent . furthermore , they are preparatively very useful compounds , which can be easily converted in one step to other interesting aromatic compounds having partially fluorinated side chains . thus , when the phosphonium salts i are heated , cleavage of the carbon - oxygen bond at the carbonyl carbon atom takes place , and a molecule of phosphoric triamide p ( 0 ) ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 is eliminated with substitution by the halide ion . in this reaction , aromatic compounds of the general formula v ## str6 ## which are known per se and contain bromine or iodine at the α - position of the fluorinated side chain and in which r 1 to r 5 and y have the above - mentioned meanings are formed . in most cases , this cleavage proceeds almost quantitatively . for this purpose , the phosphonium salt is heated undiluted or in an inert solvent , for example one having a boiling point of at least the melting temperature of the phosphonium salt , such as methyl isobutyl ketone , tetrahydronapthalene , usually to temperatures above melting point . if a solvent is used , the conversion takes place even at temperatures below the melting point . in the case of individual phosphonium salts , for example the product from example 5 , it is also possible to use fairly low - boiling solvents , such as acetone . the reaction conditions are not critical ; the two reaction products are easily separated by distillation . in a further step , the halides v thus obtained can be easily reduced to the corresponding α - hydrogen perfluoroalkyl aromatics of the formula v in which x denotes hydrogen . the reduction can be carried out by reaction with hydrogen on noble metal catalysts , such as platinum on activated carbon , or more simply by thermal reaction of the halide v with an organic , hydrogen - releasing compound , such as reactive alkyl aromatics , such as tetrahydronaphthalene or diphenylmethane . for this purpose , the compound to be reduced is heated with the alkyl aromatic to temperatures of usually 160 ° c . to 220 ° c . this reduction can also be carried out in one step , starting from the phosphonium salts i , since under these reaction conditions a rapid conversion to the halide v takes place . the reaction product can be isolated , for example by distillation . this reaction sequence provides a conventient access to aromatic compounds of the structure v having fluorinated side chains . these compounds are interesting intermediates , which previously could only be prepared in complicated and multi - step syntheses . the structures of the compounds according to examples 1 to 7 and their most important physical data are summarized in the table . in as far as solvent mixtures were used in the examples for recrystallization , a ratio by volume of 1 : 1 was used , it being possible , however , to achieve optimizations , even with respect to the yield , by changing the ratio . ( 1 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 26 . 5 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzaldhyde in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . over a period of half an hour , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are then metered in with stirring . after 4 hours at - 70 ° c ., the aldehyde had been converted according to ir spectroscopy . the reaction mixture was then slowly heated to room temperature , and the solvent evaporated under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the crude product from methyl t - butyl ether / ethyl acetate gave 97 . 2 g ( 77 % of yield ) of colorless crystals of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide of melting point 129 ° c . ( 2 ) in a round - bottom flask , 61 . 7 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are added with stirring and in the absence of moisture at about 0 ° c . to a solution of 39 . 6 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorobenzaldehyde in 150 ml of butyronitrile . 42 . 5 g ( 0 . 28 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are then passed into the solution at 20 ° to 25 ° c . at the rate at which it is consumed . after about 4 hours , the conversion was complete . the reaction mixture was extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 123 g ) from tetrahydrofuran gave 104 g ( 75 % of yield ) of [ 1 -( 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless hygroscopic crystals of melting point 123 ° to 124 ° c . ( 3 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide were condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 34 . 3 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . at this temperature , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide were then added dropwise over a period of one hour and with thorough stirring . after a further 6 hours , the reaction mixture was slowly warmed to room temperature and extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 161 g ) from tetrahydrofuran / acetone gave 121 g ( 85 % of yield ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless crystals of melting point 168 ° c . the compounds according to examples 4 to 7 listed in the table were prepared by the process according to example 3 . ( 8 ) in a distillation apparatus , 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( obtained according to example 1 ) were melted and heated to 140 ° c . for a short time . the subsequent distillation gave 23 . 5 g ( 99 % of yield ) of ( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene ( b . p . 68 ° c ./ 15 mbar ) and also 24 . 9 g ( 95 % of yield ) of phosphoric tris ( diethyl ) amide as additional product . ( 9 ) in a round - bottom flask equipped with reflux condenser , 53 . 2 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) [ 1 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( product from example 5 ) were refluxed in 80 ml of methyl isobutyl ketone for 10 minutes . the subsequent distillation gave 22 . 2 g ( 83 % of yield ) of 1 -( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl )- 4 - methoxybenzene ( b . p . 108 ° to 110 ° c ./ 8 mbar ). ( 10 ) in distillation apparatus , a mixture of 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 1 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene were heated for 2 hours at about 200 ° c . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a small column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 140 ° c . the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 40 mbar , after the reaction was completed . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 10 . 2 g ( 64 % of yield ) of ( 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene of b . p . 71 ° to 72 ° c ./ 100 mbar . ( 11 ) in a distillation apparatus , a mixture of 57 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 3 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene was heated at 200 ° c . for 3 hours . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 160 ° c . after the reaction was completed , the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 20 mbar . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 12 . 8 g ( 56 % of yield ) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropane ( b . p . 83 ° to 84 ° c ./ 100 mbar ). the fact that in the reaction of the starting products used according to the invention initially a salt - like adduct of the formula vi is formed , which differs from the compounds i according to the invention by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halides with a formation of esters , is confirmed by the following comparative experiment with respect to example 3 : as in example 3 , the same amounts of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone , ch 2 cl 2 , trifluromethyl bromide and phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are combined . four hours after the addition of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide was complete , 35 . 1 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were added . the mixture was subsequently stirred at - 70 ° c . for 2 hours . after warming the reaction mixture to room temperature , 300 ml of hexane were added . after phase separation , the bottom layer was again carefully extracted with hexane . the combined hexane layers were concentrated and distilled under reduced pressure . this gave 32 . 5 g ( 75 %) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropyl 2 - benzoate of boiling point 96 ° to 97 ° c ./ 0 . 1 mbar . ______________________________________c h f . sup . 19 f - nmr | ppm | ______________________________________ ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) cf . sub . 3found found found ( 55 . 18 ) ( 2 . 89 ) ( 32 . 74 ) - 70 . 555 . 0 2 . 9 32 . 7______________________________________ in a different experiment , 11 . 4 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of the phosphonium salt from example 3 and 2 . 8 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were stirred in a round - bottom flask in 50 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . even after two hours of refluxing , the two starting materials were still present side by side without change ; the formation of the ester described above was not observed . table__________________________________________________________________________ ## str7 ## m . p . [° c .] c h f ( recrystallized ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) . sup . 19 fnmr [ ppm ] ex . r y from ) found found found cf . sub . 3 ( cdcl . sub . 3 ) yield__________________________________________________________________________1 h h 129 ( 47 . 81 ) ( 7 . 22 ) ( 11 . 34 ) - 76 . 4 77 % ( ea / mtbe ) 47 . 7 7 . 4 10 . 72 2 - cl , 6 - f h 123 - 4 ( 43 . 3 ) ( 6 . 18 ) ( 13 . 7 ) - 75 . 4 75 % ( thf ) 43 6 . 1 13 . 63 h cf . sub . 3 168 ( 44 . 22 ) ( 5 . 88 ) ( 19 . 98 ) - 71 . 2 85 % ( thf / acetone ) 43 . 8 6 . 1 19 . 94 4 - ch . sub . 3 h 148 ( 48 . 84 ) ( 7 . 42 ) ( 11 . 03 ) - 76 71 % ( thf ) 49 . 2 7 . 2 11 . 05 4 - och . sub . 3 h 117 - 8 ( 47 . 37 ) ( 7 . 19 ) ( 10 . 7 ) - 76 . 6 81 % ( acetone ) 47 . 1 7 . 1 10 . 66 3 , 4 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 cf . sub . 3 118 - 9 ( 46 . 16 ) ( 6 . 57 ) ( 19 . 05 ) - 71 . 0 84 % ( mibk ) 46 . 2 6 . 5 18 . 77 h c . sub . 2 f . sub . 5 137 ( 42 . 59 ) ( 5 . 64 ) ( 24 . 5 ) - 66 . 1 61 % ( mibk ) 43 . 2 5 . 6 24 . 4__________________________________________________________________________ ea = ethyl acetate mtbe = methyl t . butyl ether thf = tetrahydrofuran mibk = methyl isobutyl ketone | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | d206b4cb1e41f0238cad56f29fe12d73190c167d643739126efa0ceeda597fa8 | 0.269531 | 0.063477 | 0.168945 | 0.038574 | 0.330078 | 0.145508 |
null | the invention relates to 1 - arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt of the formula i ## str3 ## and also to a process for their preparation and their further reaction to give aromatic compounds having a partially fluorinated side chain . the starting materials used are aromatic aldehydes or ketones which are converted into phosphonium salts of the above formula i by reaction with trifluoromethyl halides and phosphorous triamides . it is known to prepare alkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts by reaction of the corresponding alcohols with a reactive halotris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt ( synthesis , 1979 , 951 - 2 ). the preparation of trifluormethyl - substituted carbinols , the alcohols on which the phosphonium salts of the formula i are based , by transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to carbonyl compounds is of great interest and has been investigated in many publications . in this process , organometallic compounds of base metals , which are usually prepared from the corresponding trifluoromethyl halide and a metal , such as magnesium , zinc , manganese , etc ., are used . the disadvantage of this process is the usually expensive preparation and lability of the organometallic compounds which must be prepared initially , which manifests itself in the poor reproducibility of the published results ( tetrahedron lett . 26 , 5243 to 5246 ; specifically p . 5245 footnote 4 ). the invention accordingly relates to compounds of the formula i ( see above ) in which the radicals r 1 to r 5 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , which can be perfluorinated , alkoxy or alkylthio each having 1 to 6 , in particular 1 to 3 , carbon atoms , and also halogen ( fluorine , chlorine , bromine , iodine ), in which , however , not more than three of the radicals r 1 to r 5 have a meaning other than hydrogen , y denotes hydrogen or a perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , x is bromine or iodine and , &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; stands for an alkyl radical having 1 to 3 carbon atoms . preferably , no more than two substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen are bound to the aromatic ring . the alkyl , alkoxy and alkylthio substituents can be straight - chain or branched and advantageously contain overall a maximum of 6 , in particular a maximum of 4 , carbon atoms . the invention also relates to a simple one - step process for the preparation of the above - mentioned compounds . this can be achieved by transfer of a trifluoromethyl group to aromatic carbonyl compounds , whereby the preparation and use of the above - mentioned organometallic compounds is avoided , and consists in reacting carbonyl compounds of the general formula ii ## str4 ## with trifluoromethyl halides of the formula cf 3 x ( iii ), in which x is bromine or iodine , and phosphorous tris ( dialkylamides ) ( in other words tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphanes ) of the general formula p ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 ( iv ) to give phosphonium salts of the formula i ( see above ), where in formulae i to iii the radicals are r 1 to r 5 , y and &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; have the above - mentioned meaning . these phosphonium salts are very useful intermediates for syntheses and can be converted - as will be shown later - to aromatics having partially fluorinated side chains , which otherwise are often only accessible with difficulty by other routes . the process according to the invention does not only have the advantage of being simple , but also the advantage that the starting materials are readily accessible and that without exception good yields of phosphonium salts are obtained . trifluoromethyl bromide which is less poisonous and cheaper than trifluoromethyl iodide can be used advantageously for the transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to the carbonyl compounds . the aromatic carbonyl compounds ( ii ) used can be the aldehydes ( y = hydrogen ) or aryl perfluoroalkyl ketones ( y = perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 where n is 1 to 6 ). the aromatic carbonyl compounds can be unsubstituted or can have one or more identical or different substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen . examples of suitable phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amides ( iv ) are tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphane , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphase and tris ( dipropyl - or - isopropylamino ) phosphane ; preferably , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphane p ( n [ ch 2 ch 3 ] 2 ) 3 is used . this phosphane can be produced very easily in high yields by reaction of phosphorus trichloride with diethylamine in a solvent which in inert towards the reactants , for example an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon or a mixture of hydrocarbons . the dialkylamino groups can contain identical or different alkyl groups . in the reaction of the aromatic aldehydes or ketones ( ii ) with a trifluoromethyl halide ( iii ) and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide ( iv ), initially an adduct of the formula ( vi ) is formed ## str5 ## the existence of this compound and the assignment of structure vi becomes plausible from the reactivity observed . this compound differs from compounds i by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halide with the formation of esters and also by the fact that it is converted to the free alcohol by the addition of a proton acid . compounds i according to the invention do not undergo these reactions . the initially formed adducts vi are subject in the reaction mixture to an exothermic rearrangement to the arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts ( i ) above a conversion temperature which , depending on the type of the underlying alcohol , is between - 60 ° c . and + 20 ° c . the reaction of the carbonyl compounds with the trifluoromethyl halide and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide is in general carried out at temperatures of about - 100 ° c . to + 50 ° c ., in particular of - 80 ° to + 20 ° c . in the case of carbonyl compounds of very low reactivity it is advantageous to work at temperatures above - 40 ° c . and , for example , up to + 50 ° c . to achieve a rapid conversion . as is known , the reaction time is dependent on the other conditions , in particular on the reaction temperature . in general , the reaction is completed within a period of a few minutes to several hours . the reaction is in general carried out without applying superatmospheric pressure . however , it may be advantageous to work at elevated pressure , especially if the reaction is carried out above the boiling temperature ( at atmospheric pressure ) of the trifluoromethyl halide . this means that in practice the reaction is carried out at least at the internal pressure . advantageously , the present process is carried out under anhydrous conditions in the presence of a solvent or diluent which is inert towards the reactants . in particular aprotic liquids are used as liquids of this type . the liquids used are , for example , halogenated hydrocarbons , such as methylene chloride , tetrachloroethane , nitriles , for example acetonitrile or homologues thereof , such as butyronitrile or benzonitrile , esters , such as diethyl carbonate or ethylene carbonate , and ethers , such as tetrahydrofuran or dimethoxyethane . the solvent should , if possible , be anhydrous . it is advantageous to ensure that during the entire duration of the reaction it is well mixed , for example by stirring , and to keep the reaction product in solution by choosing a suitable solvent . the method and sequence of combining the three components is not critical . the process according to the invention can be carried out , for example , in such a manner that the solvent , the carbonyl compound and a further component are initially introduced and the third component is metered in . however , it is also possible to combine all three components simultaneously . the other reactants are usually used in at least an equivalent amount with respect to the carbonyl compound ii , but often they are used in an excess of , for example , up to 25 %. the reaction mixture can be worked up , for example , by freeing it from the solvent under reduced pressure and recrystallizing the resulting residue . when isolating the phosphonium salt , it may be advantageous first to remove biproducts and some of the solvent by extraction of the reaction mixture with a non - porous solvent , for example a hydrocarbon such as hexane . in this operation , the bottom layer , which contains mostly the phosphonium salt i , is often already present as a solid . the phosphonium salts according to the invention are fairly stable , hydrolysis - resistant solids , which are readily soluble in water and polar solvent . furthermore , they are preparatively very useful compounds , which can be easily converted in one step to other interesting aromatic compounds having partially fluorinated side chains . thus , when the phosphonium salts i are heated , cleavage of the carbon - oxygen bond at the carbonyl carbon atom takes place , and a molecule of phosphoric triamide p ( 0 ) ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 is eliminated with substitution by the halide ion . in this reaction , aromatic compounds of the general formula v ## str6 ## which are known per se and contain bromine or iodine at the α - position of the fluorinated side chain and in which r 1 to r 5 and y have the above - mentioned meanings are formed . in most cases , this cleavage proceeds almost quantitatively . for this purpose , the phosphonium salt is heated undiluted or in an inert solvent , for example one having a boiling point of at least the melting temperature of the phosphonium salt , such as methyl isobutyl ketone , tetrahydronapthalene , usually to temperatures above melting point . if a solvent is used , the conversion takes place even at temperatures below the melting point . in the case of individual phosphonium salts , for example the product from example 5 , it is also possible to use fairly low - boiling solvents , such as acetone . the reaction conditions are not critical ; the two reaction products are easily separated by distillation . in a further step , the halides v thus obtained can be easily reduced to the corresponding α - hydrogen perfluoroalkyl aromatics of the formula v in which x denotes hydrogen . the reduction can be carried out by reaction with hydrogen on noble metal catalysts , such as platinum on activated carbon , or more simply by thermal reaction of the halide v with an organic , hydrogen - releasing compound , such as reactive alkyl aromatics , such as tetrahydronaphthalene or diphenylmethane . for this purpose , the compound to be reduced is heated with the alkyl aromatic to temperatures of usually 160 ° c . to 220 ° c . this reduction can also be carried out in one step , starting from the phosphonium salts i , since under these reaction conditions a rapid conversion to the halide v takes place . the reaction product can be isolated , for example by distillation . this reaction sequence provides a conventient access to aromatic compounds of the structure v having fluorinated side chains . these compounds are interesting intermediates , which previously could only be prepared in complicated and multi - step syntheses . the structures of the compounds according to examples 1 to 7 and their most important physical data are summarized in the table . in as far as solvent mixtures were used in the examples for recrystallization , a ratio by volume of 1 : 1 was used , it being possible , however , to achieve optimizations , even with respect to the yield , by changing the ratio . ( 1 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 26 . 5 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzaldhyde in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . over a period of half an hour , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are then metered in with stirring . after 4 hours at - 70 ° c ., the aldehyde had been converted according to ir spectroscopy . the reaction mixture was then slowly heated to room temperature , and the solvent evaporated under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the crude product from methyl t - butyl ether / ethyl acetate gave 97 . 2 g ( 77 % of yield ) of colorless crystals of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide of melting point 129 ° c . ( 2 ) in a round - bottom flask , 61 . 7 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are added with stirring and in the absence of moisture at about 0 ° c . to a solution of 39 . 6 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorobenzaldehyde in 150 ml of butyronitrile . 42 . 5 g ( 0 . 28 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are then passed into the solution at 20 ° to 25 ° c . at the rate at which it is consumed . after about 4 hours , the conversion was complete . the reaction mixture was extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 123 g ) from tetrahydrofuran gave 104 g ( 75 % of yield ) of [ 1 -( 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless hygroscopic crystals of melting point 123 ° to 124 ° c . ( 3 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide were condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 34 . 3 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . at this temperature , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide were then added dropwise over a period of one hour and with thorough stirring . after a further 6 hours , the reaction mixture was slowly warmed to room temperature and extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 161 g ) from tetrahydrofuran / acetone gave 121 g ( 85 % of yield ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless crystals of melting point 168 ° c . the compounds according to examples 4 to 7 listed in the table were prepared by the process according to example 3 . ( 8 ) in a distillation apparatus , 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( obtained according to example 1 ) were melted and heated to 140 ° c . for a short time . the subsequent distillation gave 23 . 5 g ( 99 % of yield ) of ( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene ( b . p . 68 ° c ./ 15 mbar ) and also 24 . 9 g ( 95 % of yield ) of phosphoric tris ( diethyl ) amide as additional product . ( 9 ) in a round - bottom flask equipped with reflux condenser , 53 . 2 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) [ 1 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( product from example 5 ) were refluxed in 80 ml of methyl isobutyl ketone for 10 minutes . the subsequent distillation gave 22 . 2 g ( 83 % of yield ) of 1 -( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl )- 4 - methoxybenzene ( b . p . 108 ° to 110 ° c ./ 8 mbar ). ( 10 ) in distillation apparatus , a mixture of 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 1 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene were heated for 2 hours at about 200 ° c . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a small column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 140 ° c . the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 40 mbar , after the reaction was completed . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 10 . 2 g ( 64 % of yield ) of ( 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene of b . p . 71 ° to 72 ° c ./ 100 mbar . ( 11 ) in a distillation apparatus , a mixture of 57 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 3 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene was heated at 200 ° c . for 3 hours . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 160 ° c . after the reaction was completed , the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 20 mbar . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 12 . 8 g ( 56 % of yield ) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropane ( b . p . 83 ° to 84 ° c ./ 100 mbar ). the fact that in the reaction of the starting products used according to the invention initially a salt - like adduct of the formula vi is formed , which differs from the compounds i according to the invention by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halides with a formation of esters , is confirmed by the following comparative experiment with respect to example 3 : as in example 3 , the same amounts of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone , ch 2 cl 2 , trifluromethyl bromide and phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are combined . four hours after the addition of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide was complete , 35 . 1 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were added . the mixture was subsequently stirred at - 70 ° c . for 2 hours . after warming the reaction mixture to room temperature , 300 ml of hexane were added . after phase separation , the bottom layer was again carefully extracted with hexane . the combined hexane layers were concentrated and distilled under reduced pressure . this gave 32 . 5 g ( 75 %) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropyl 2 - benzoate of boiling point 96 ° to 97 ° c ./ 0 . 1 mbar . ______________________________________c h f . sup . 19 f - nmr | ppm | ______________________________________ ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) cf . sub . 3found found found ( 55 . 18 ) ( 2 . 89 ) ( 32 . 74 ) - 70 . 555 . 0 2 . 9 32 . 7______________________________________ in a different experiment , 11 . 4 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of the phosphonium salt from example 3 and 2 . 8 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were stirred in a round - bottom flask in 50 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . even after two hours of refluxing , the two starting materials were still present side by side without change ; the formation of the ester described above was not observed . table__________________________________________________________________________ ## str7 ## m . p . [° c .] c h f ( recrystallized ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) . sup . 19 fnmr [ ppm ] ex . r y from ) found found found cf . sub . 3 ( cdcl . sub . 3 ) yield__________________________________________________________________________1 h h 129 ( 47 . 81 ) ( 7 . 22 ) ( 11 . 34 ) - 76 . 4 77 % ( ea / mtbe ) 47 . 7 7 . 4 10 . 72 2 - cl , 6 - f h 123 - 4 ( 43 . 3 ) ( 6 . 18 ) ( 13 . 7 ) - 75 . 4 75 % ( thf ) 43 6 . 1 13 . 63 h cf . sub . 3 168 ( 44 . 22 ) ( 5 . 88 ) ( 19 . 98 ) - 71 . 2 85 % ( thf / acetone ) 43 . 8 6 . 1 19 . 94 4 - ch . sub . 3 h 148 ( 48 . 84 ) ( 7 . 42 ) ( 11 . 03 ) - 76 71 % ( thf ) 49 . 2 7 . 2 11 . 05 4 - och . sub . 3 h 117 - 8 ( 47 . 37 ) ( 7 . 19 ) ( 10 . 7 ) - 76 . 6 81 % ( acetone ) 47 . 1 7 . 1 10 . 66 3 , 4 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 cf . sub . 3 118 - 9 ( 46 . 16 ) ( 6 . 57 ) ( 19 . 05 ) - 71 . 0 84 % ( mibk ) 46 . 2 6 . 5 18 . 77 h c . sub . 2 f . sub . 5 137 ( 42 . 59 ) ( 5 . 64 ) ( 24 . 5 ) - 66 . 1 61 % ( mibk ) 43 . 2 5 . 6 24 . 4__________________________________________________________________________ ea = ethyl acetate mtbe = methyl t . butyl ether thf = tetrahydrofuran mibk = methyl isobutyl ketone | Is 'Chemistry; Metallurgy' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | d206b4cb1e41f0238cad56f29fe12d73190c167d643739126efa0ceeda597fa8 | 0.15332 | 0.000534 | 0.061768 | 0.000035 | 0.232422 | 0.000519 |
null | the invention relates to 1 - arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt of the formula i ## str3 ## and also to a process for their preparation and their further reaction to give aromatic compounds having a partially fluorinated side chain . the starting materials used are aromatic aldehydes or ketones which are converted into phosphonium salts of the above formula i by reaction with trifluoromethyl halides and phosphorous triamides . it is known to prepare alkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts by reaction of the corresponding alcohols with a reactive halotris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt ( synthesis , 1979 , 951 - 2 ). the preparation of trifluormethyl - substituted carbinols , the alcohols on which the phosphonium salts of the formula i are based , by transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to carbonyl compounds is of great interest and has been investigated in many publications . in this process , organometallic compounds of base metals , which are usually prepared from the corresponding trifluoromethyl halide and a metal , such as magnesium , zinc , manganese , etc ., are used . the disadvantage of this process is the usually expensive preparation and lability of the organometallic compounds which must be prepared initially , which manifests itself in the poor reproducibility of the published results ( tetrahedron lett . 26 , 5243 to 5246 ; specifically p . 5245 footnote 4 ). the invention accordingly relates to compounds of the formula i ( see above ) in which the radicals r 1 to r 5 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , which can be perfluorinated , alkoxy or alkylthio each having 1 to 6 , in particular 1 to 3 , carbon atoms , and also halogen ( fluorine , chlorine , bromine , iodine ), in which , however , not more than three of the radicals r 1 to r 5 have a meaning other than hydrogen , y denotes hydrogen or a perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , x is bromine or iodine and , &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; stands for an alkyl radical having 1 to 3 carbon atoms . preferably , no more than two substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen are bound to the aromatic ring . the alkyl , alkoxy and alkylthio substituents can be straight - chain or branched and advantageously contain overall a maximum of 6 , in particular a maximum of 4 , carbon atoms . the invention also relates to a simple one - step process for the preparation of the above - mentioned compounds . this can be achieved by transfer of a trifluoromethyl group to aromatic carbonyl compounds , whereby the preparation and use of the above - mentioned organometallic compounds is avoided , and consists in reacting carbonyl compounds of the general formula ii ## str4 ## with trifluoromethyl halides of the formula cf 3 x ( iii ), in which x is bromine or iodine , and phosphorous tris ( dialkylamides ) ( in other words tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphanes ) of the general formula p ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 ( iv ) to give phosphonium salts of the formula i ( see above ), where in formulae i to iii the radicals are r 1 to r 5 , y and &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; have the above - mentioned meaning . these phosphonium salts are very useful intermediates for syntheses and can be converted - as will be shown later - to aromatics having partially fluorinated side chains , which otherwise are often only accessible with difficulty by other routes . the process according to the invention does not only have the advantage of being simple , but also the advantage that the starting materials are readily accessible and that without exception good yields of phosphonium salts are obtained . trifluoromethyl bromide which is less poisonous and cheaper than trifluoromethyl iodide can be used advantageously for the transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to the carbonyl compounds . the aromatic carbonyl compounds ( ii ) used can be the aldehydes ( y = hydrogen ) or aryl perfluoroalkyl ketones ( y = perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 where n is 1 to 6 ). the aromatic carbonyl compounds can be unsubstituted or can have one or more identical or different substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen . examples of suitable phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amides ( iv ) are tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphane , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphase and tris ( dipropyl - or - isopropylamino ) phosphane ; preferably , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphane p ( n [ ch 2 ch 3 ] 2 ) 3 is used . this phosphane can be produced very easily in high yields by reaction of phosphorus trichloride with diethylamine in a solvent which in inert towards the reactants , for example an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon or a mixture of hydrocarbons . the dialkylamino groups can contain identical or different alkyl groups . in the reaction of the aromatic aldehydes or ketones ( ii ) with a trifluoromethyl halide ( iii ) and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide ( iv ), initially an adduct of the formula ( vi ) is formed ## str5 ## the existence of this compound and the assignment of structure vi becomes plausible from the reactivity observed . this compound differs from compounds i by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halide with the formation of esters and also by the fact that it is converted to the free alcohol by the addition of a proton acid . compounds i according to the invention do not undergo these reactions . the initially formed adducts vi are subject in the reaction mixture to an exothermic rearrangement to the arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts ( i ) above a conversion temperature which , depending on the type of the underlying alcohol , is between - 60 ° c . and + 20 ° c . the reaction of the carbonyl compounds with the trifluoromethyl halide and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide is in general carried out at temperatures of about - 100 ° c . to + 50 ° c ., in particular of - 80 ° to + 20 ° c . in the case of carbonyl compounds of very low reactivity it is advantageous to work at temperatures above - 40 ° c . and , for example , up to + 50 ° c . to achieve a rapid conversion . as is known , the reaction time is dependent on the other conditions , in particular on the reaction temperature . in general , the reaction is completed within a period of a few minutes to several hours . the reaction is in general carried out without applying superatmospheric pressure . however , it may be advantageous to work at elevated pressure , especially if the reaction is carried out above the boiling temperature ( at atmospheric pressure ) of the trifluoromethyl halide . this means that in practice the reaction is carried out at least at the internal pressure . advantageously , the present process is carried out under anhydrous conditions in the presence of a solvent or diluent which is inert towards the reactants . in particular aprotic liquids are used as liquids of this type . the liquids used are , for example , halogenated hydrocarbons , such as methylene chloride , tetrachloroethane , nitriles , for example acetonitrile or homologues thereof , such as butyronitrile or benzonitrile , esters , such as diethyl carbonate or ethylene carbonate , and ethers , such as tetrahydrofuran or dimethoxyethane . the solvent should , if possible , be anhydrous . it is advantageous to ensure that during the entire duration of the reaction it is well mixed , for example by stirring , and to keep the reaction product in solution by choosing a suitable solvent . the method and sequence of combining the three components is not critical . the process according to the invention can be carried out , for example , in such a manner that the solvent , the carbonyl compound and a further component are initially introduced and the third component is metered in . however , it is also possible to combine all three components simultaneously . the other reactants are usually used in at least an equivalent amount with respect to the carbonyl compound ii , but often they are used in an excess of , for example , up to 25 %. the reaction mixture can be worked up , for example , by freeing it from the solvent under reduced pressure and recrystallizing the resulting residue . when isolating the phosphonium salt , it may be advantageous first to remove biproducts and some of the solvent by extraction of the reaction mixture with a non - porous solvent , for example a hydrocarbon such as hexane . in this operation , the bottom layer , which contains mostly the phosphonium salt i , is often already present as a solid . the phosphonium salts according to the invention are fairly stable , hydrolysis - resistant solids , which are readily soluble in water and polar solvent . furthermore , they are preparatively very useful compounds , which can be easily converted in one step to other interesting aromatic compounds having partially fluorinated side chains . thus , when the phosphonium salts i are heated , cleavage of the carbon - oxygen bond at the carbonyl carbon atom takes place , and a molecule of phosphoric triamide p ( 0 ) ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 is eliminated with substitution by the halide ion . in this reaction , aromatic compounds of the general formula v ## str6 ## which are known per se and contain bromine or iodine at the α - position of the fluorinated side chain and in which r 1 to r 5 and y have the above - mentioned meanings are formed . in most cases , this cleavage proceeds almost quantitatively . for this purpose , the phosphonium salt is heated undiluted or in an inert solvent , for example one having a boiling point of at least the melting temperature of the phosphonium salt , such as methyl isobutyl ketone , tetrahydronapthalene , usually to temperatures above melting point . if a solvent is used , the conversion takes place even at temperatures below the melting point . in the case of individual phosphonium salts , for example the product from example 5 , it is also possible to use fairly low - boiling solvents , such as acetone . the reaction conditions are not critical ; the two reaction products are easily separated by distillation . in a further step , the halides v thus obtained can be easily reduced to the corresponding α - hydrogen perfluoroalkyl aromatics of the formula v in which x denotes hydrogen . the reduction can be carried out by reaction with hydrogen on noble metal catalysts , such as platinum on activated carbon , or more simply by thermal reaction of the halide v with an organic , hydrogen - releasing compound , such as reactive alkyl aromatics , such as tetrahydronaphthalene or diphenylmethane . for this purpose , the compound to be reduced is heated with the alkyl aromatic to temperatures of usually 160 ° c . to 220 ° c . this reduction can also be carried out in one step , starting from the phosphonium salts i , since under these reaction conditions a rapid conversion to the halide v takes place . the reaction product can be isolated , for example by distillation . this reaction sequence provides a conventient access to aromatic compounds of the structure v having fluorinated side chains . these compounds are interesting intermediates , which previously could only be prepared in complicated and multi - step syntheses . the structures of the compounds according to examples 1 to 7 and their most important physical data are summarized in the table . in as far as solvent mixtures were used in the examples for recrystallization , a ratio by volume of 1 : 1 was used , it being possible , however , to achieve optimizations , even with respect to the yield , by changing the ratio . ( 1 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 26 . 5 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzaldhyde in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . over a period of half an hour , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are then metered in with stirring . after 4 hours at - 70 ° c ., the aldehyde had been converted according to ir spectroscopy . the reaction mixture was then slowly heated to room temperature , and the solvent evaporated under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the crude product from methyl t - butyl ether / ethyl acetate gave 97 . 2 g ( 77 % of yield ) of colorless crystals of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide of melting point 129 ° c . ( 2 ) in a round - bottom flask , 61 . 7 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are added with stirring and in the absence of moisture at about 0 ° c . to a solution of 39 . 6 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorobenzaldehyde in 150 ml of butyronitrile . 42 . 5 g ( 0 . 28 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are then passed into the solution at 20 ° to 25 ° c . at the rate at which it is consumed . after about 4 hours , the conversion was complete . the reaction mixture was extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 123 g ) from tetrahydrofuran gave 104 g ( 75 % of yield ) of [ 1 -( 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless hygroscopic crystals of melting point 123 ° to 124 ° c . ( 3 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide were condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 34 . 3 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . at this temperature , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide were then added dropwise over a period of one hour and with thorough stirring . after a further 6 hours , the reaction mixture was slowly warmed to room temperature and extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 161 g ) from tetrahydrofuran / acetone gave 121 g ( 85 % of yield ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless crystals of melting point 168 ° c . the compounds according to examples 4 to 7 listed in the table were prepared by the process according to example 3 . ( 8 ) in a distillation apparatus , 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( obtained according to example 1 ) were melted and heated to 140 ° c . for a short time . the subsequent distillation gave 23 . 5 g ( 99 % of yield ) of ( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene ( b . p . 68 ° c ./ 15 mbar ) and also 24 . 9 g ( 95 % of yield ) of phosphoric tris ( diethyl ) amide as additional product . ( 9 ) in a round - bottom flask equipped with reflux condenser , 53 . 2 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) [ 1 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( product from example 5 ) were refluxed in 80 ml of methyl isobutyl ketone for 10 minutes . the subsequent distillation gave 22 . 2 g ( 83 % of yield ) of 1 -( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl )- 4 - methoxybenzene ( b . p . 108 ° to 110 ° c ./ 8 mbar ). ( 10 ) in distillation apparatus , a mixture of 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 1 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene were heated for 2 hours at about 200 ° c . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a small column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 140 ° c . the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 40 mbar , after the reaction was completed . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 10 . 2 g ( 64 % of yield ) of ( 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene of b . p . 71 ° to 72 ° c ./ 100 mbar . ( 11 ) in a distillation apparatus , a mixture of 57 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 3 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene was heated at 200 ° c . for 3 hours . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 160 ° c . after the reaction was completed , the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 20 mbar . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 12 . 8 g ( 56 % of yield ) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropane ( b . p . 83 ° to 84 ° c ./ 100 mbar ). the fact that in the reaction of the starting products used according to the invention initially a salt - like adduct of the formula vi is formed , which differs from the compounds i according to the invention by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halides with a formation of esters , is confirmed by the following comparative experiment with respect to example 3 : as in example 3 , the same amounts of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone , ch 2 cl 2 , trifluromethyl bromide and phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are combined . four hours after the addition of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide was complete , 35 . 1 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were added . the mixture was subsequently stirred at - 70 ° c . for 2 hours . after warming the reaction mixture to room temperature , 300 ml of hexane were added . after phase separation , the bottom layer was again carefully extracted with hexane . the combined hexane layers were concentrated and distilled under reduced pressure . this gave 32 . 5 g ( 75 %) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropyl 2 - benzoate of boiling point 96 ° to 97 ° c ./ 0 . 1 mbar . ______________________________________c h f . sup . 19 f - nmr | ppm | ______________________________________ ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) cf . sub . 3found found found ( 55 . 18 ) ( 2 . 89 ) ( 32 . 74 ) - 70 . 555 . 0 2 . 9 32 . 7______________________________________ in a different experiment , 11 . 4 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of the phosphonium salt from example 3 and 2 . 8 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were stirred in a round - bottom flask in 50 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . even after two hours of refluxing , the two starting materials were still present side by side without change ; the formation of the ester described above was not observed . table__________________________________________________________________________ ## str7 ## m . p . [° c .] c h f ( recrystallized ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) . sup . 19 fnmr [ ppm ] ex . r y from ) found found found cf . sub . 3 ( cdcl . sub . 3 ) yield__________________________________________________________________________1 h h 129 ( 47 . 81 ) ( 7 . 22 ) ( 11 . 34 ) - 76 . 4 77 % ( ea / mtbe ) 47 . 7 7 . 4 10 . 72 2 - cl , 6 - f h 123 - 4 ( 43 . 3 ) ( 6 . 18 ) ( 13 . 7 ) - 75 . 4 75 % ( thf ) 43 6 . 1 13 . 63 h cf . sub . 3 168 ( 44 . 22 ) ( 5 . 88 ) ( 19 . 98 ) - 71 . 2 85 % ( thf / acetone ) 43 . 8 6 . 1 19 . 94 4 - ch . sub . 3 h 148 ( 48 . 84 ) ( 7 . 42 ) ( 11 . 03 ) - 76 71 % ( thf ) 49 . 2 7 . 2 11 . 05 4 - och . sub . 3 h 117 - 8 ( 47 . 37 ) ( 7 . 19 ) ( 10 . 7 ) - 76 . 6 81 % ( acetone ) 47 . 1 7 . 1 10 . 66 3 , 4 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 cf . sub . 3 118 - 9 ( 46 . 16 ) ( 6 . 57 ) ( 19 . 05 ) - 71 . 0 84 % ( mibk ) 46 . 2 6 . 5 18 . 77 h c . sub . 2 f . sub . 5 137 ( 42 . 59 ) ( 5 . 64 ) ( 24 . 5 ) - 66 . 1 61 % ( mibk ) 43 . 2 5 . 6 24 . 4__________________________________________________________________________ ea = ethyl acetate mtbe = methyl t . butyl ether thf = tetrahydrofuran mibk = methyl isobutyl ketone | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | Should this patent be classified under 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | d206b4cb1e41f0238cad56f29fe12d73190c167d643739126efa0ceeda597fa8 | 0.202148 | 0.151367 | 0.094238 | 0.503906 | 0.239258 | 0.197266 |
null | first , the characteristics of a non - limiting example of an ldo regulator regulated at 3 . 0 v with 60 μf ( before voltage and temperature deteriorating effects ) capacitor is presented . fig1 illustrates output voltage and supply current of such an ldo during start - up . it shows the characteristic of the output voltage ( vout ) 10 and inrush current 11 through the output pass device ( iout ) during start - up . t1 : all internal nodes of the ldo are discharged and biasing up . the output node is charging an external capacitor without control on the output current and a high inrush current 10 a is possible ( as shown in the dashed ellipse ), such a high inrush current may be harmful for the circuit and the supply ; t2 : internal slew rate controlled phase : an internal miller capacitor starts to charge up while an internal ldo current limit circuit has not yet started to operate ; t3 : the internal current limit circuit kicks in ; t4 : the output voltage reaches 90 % of the final regulated target value . fig2 illustrates a schematic of an exemplary ldo circuit having an output capacitor connected to a miller compensation capacitor . fig2 shows three gain stages with internal miller compensation . fig2 comprises the components of a basic integrated ldo , namely a pass transistor mpout 24 , a voltage divider ( r0 + r1 )/( r0 + r1 + r2 ), a feedback node fbk , and a differential pair stage ( mp1 , mp2 mn1 , and mn2 ) controlling the pass transistor mpout and a miller capacitor cmiller . furthermore an external output capacitor cout is provided . a current limit loop comprises feedback node fbk , nodes vd1 , vd2 , vd3 , and vd4 , current comparator 21 , transistor mn3 , and voltage comparator 22 , wherein both comparators are connected to a control circuit 23 comprising transistors mpswrt , mp4 and mp3 . the gates of mp3 and mp4 are connected to node vd4 , which is controlling the gate of the power switch mpout . the gate of mpswt is connected to the output of the voltage comparator 22 , which is detecting if the output voltage of the ldo has reached e . g . 90 % of the final regulated target voltage . the control circuit 23 provides input to the current comparator 21 which is controlling node vd3 via transistor mn3 the transistors mp3 and mp4 of the control circuit 23 mirror the current lout from the power transistor mpout to the current comparator 21 . the ratio of the current mirroring is : wherein w = channel width , l = channel length , and assuming that all the devices ( mp3 , mp4 , and mpout ) have same channel length and channel width but mpout has more units in parallel ( m ) and mp4 has more units in series ( n ). at the beginning of the start - up of the ldo of fig2 the output node ( vout ) 20 is completely discharged , hence the feedback node ( fbk ) 25 is low . the input differential pair ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ), building the 1 st gain stage , is completely unbalanced ( fbk voltage is close to ground voltage and the reference voltage vref is relatively high ) and the node vd2 is low forcing the output vd3 of the second gain stage a1 to be high and the output vd4 of the third gain stage a2 to be low . the node vd4 drives directly the gate of the output pass device mpout , which is connected to the supply voltage vin . if at start - up the node vd4 is close to ground , the output pass device mpout is completely turned on with a high gate to source voltage and behaves like a switch and a high inrush current is flowing . it is only when the output vd2 of the differential pair of the 1 st stage ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ) has reached the same level of biasing to match the opposite branch voltage vd1 that the second gain stage a1 and the third gain stage a2 can take control of the regulation loop that the output current is enabled to start to be limited . phase t3 is when the current limit kicks in because the circuit requires to operate a minimum vout . the voltage at node vd1 is in the preferred embodiment equivalent of gate - source voltage of device mn1 ( about 0 . 6 v ), i . e . the peak output inrush current during phase t1 ( the time can be defined in design , i . e . 50 μs ) is therefore : fig1 and 2 show that inrush current limitations should be activated in phase 1 already . fig3 illustrates how the problem of inrush current is being addressed in phase 1 already . a pre - charge circuit 30 is activated by an enable ldo signal as soon as the ldo is turned on and will immediately bias node vd2 close to the voltage of node vd1 . pre - charging of the node vd2 is done through a replica mn6 of the mn1 device ; hence the circuit can closely track the changes due to pvt variations . a current mode buffer mn4 , mn5 has to clamp the voltage at node vd2 while the ldo is powering up . the pre - charge circuit 30 comprises a current mode buffer 40 comprising transistors mn4 and mn5 . the pre - charge circuit 30 will remain in operation for a time long enough to ensure that the biasing of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , mn2 is close to the final biasing conditions . in the example of the preferred embodiment the delay circuit 31 is set to approximately 100 μs , which is long enough to cover for the worst case conditions over pvt corners . after this delay , this pre - charge circuit is turned off and the mn4 device stops providing current ; the vd2 node is regulated now by the control loop of the ldo . furthermore a miller capacitor cmiller is connected between the output of the ldo and a miller node 25 . a further improvement to the method ( not shown in fig3 ) is to attach to node vd1 , in parallel to device mn1 , node a dummy replica of the device mn4 in order to balance the capacitive load between the two branches of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , and mn2 furthermore the current source 32 may be scaled with current rail provided by current source 33 . fig4 shows details of the integrated pre - charge circuit 30 for in - rush current control as implemented in the exemplary ldo shown in fig1 and 2 . as already shown in the circuit of fig3 , fig4 shows the delay circuit 31 , and transistor mn6 , which is a replica of the mn1 . the current mode buffer 40 clamps the voltage at the miller node vd2 shown in fig3 . the pre - charge circuit is disabled after a delay signal from the delay block 31 or in other words biasing of the input differential pair is close to final biasing conditions . in a preferred embodiment the pre - charge circuit 30 is disabled after e . g . about 100 μsecs after an enable signal of the ldo or amplifier circuit . transistor mp40 is connected in a current mirror configuration to the current source 33 generating bias current itail for the input stage as shown in fig3 . this current mirror is configured in a way that a current itail / 2 is provided by transistor mp40 to the pre - charge circuit 30 . transistors mn5 and mn4 are identical transistors connected in a current mirror configuration , therefore the same current itail / 2 flows through both transistors mn5 and mn4 , hence voltage vg1 has about the same value as voltage vd1 shown in fig3 . current itail is the bias current in the main input differential pair . under normal conditions each branch ( mp1 + mn1 and mp2 + mn2 ) have a same current itail / 2 , hence to replicate the vd1 voltage , itail / 2 has to be used . it has to be noted that at start - up point of time the vref pin has a much higher voltage than the fbk pin as the vout node is charging slowly hence at the very beginning of the start - up there is no current flowing through the mp2 + mn2 devices . this way it is easy for the pre - charge circuit 30 to bias the node vd2 to the target value vd1 . fig5 depicts worst case , simulation results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage , regulated at 3 . 0 v , of an ldo with inrush current control of the present disclosure when loaded with 60 μf . the worst case includes temperature of − 40 degrees c . the inrush current has a peak of 523 ma . fig6 illustrates silicon results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage of an ldo , regulated at 2 . 2 v , of the present invention when loaded with 10 μf . the inrush current has a peak of 130 ma . fig5 and 6 show both results from 2 versions of the same ldo . fig5 shows current and voltage diagrams from simulations under worst case conditions , while fig6 shows silicon results of the ldo under typical conditions . fig7 shows a flowchart of a method to reduce inrush current of electronic circuits having a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . a first step 700 depicts a provision of providing an electronic circuit having an input stage and a pre - charge circuit and a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . the next step 701 shows pre - charging a terminal of the miller capacitor , which is connected to an input stage of the electronic circuit , to bias conditions close to normal biasing conditions at the very beginning of a start - up phase of the circuit . step 702 clamping by the pre - charge circuit the terminal of the miller capacitor to a voltage close to normal biasing conditions , while the electronic circuit is starting up . step 703 depicts disabling the pre - charge after a defined timespan being long enough to ensure that the biasing of an input stage of the electronic circuit is close to the final biasing conditions . it should be noted that the method disclosed to pre - charge and clamp the node vd2 at start - up and consequently reduce the inrush current from the supply voltage vin is valid in all pvt conditions . fig8 a + b illustrate time - charts comprising an ldo with and without inrush current control with a large capacitor ( 60 μf ) when the output is regulated at 3 . 0 v . the temperature is ambient temperature , the silicon corner is typical . in fig8 a curve 80 shows a time diagram of the ldo without inrush current control and the peak on the left hand side of curve 80 shows clearly the problem addressed by the present disclosure . furthermore in fig8 a curve 81 illustrates a current diagram with the inrush current control of the present disclosure . the dramatic improvements by the inrush current control are obvious . curve 82 shows the rise of the output voltage of the ldo with inrush current control and curve 83 shows the rise of the voltage without inrush current control . it should be noted that the maximum inrush current amounts to about 8 a as shown by curve 80 . fig9 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos without inrush current control . fig9 a with curve 90 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is about 7 . 8 a . fig9 b with curves 91 - 93 shows peak values of inrush currents without inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 μf ( curve 93 ), 30 μf ( curve 92 ), and 60 μf ( curve 91 ) versus time . numeral 91 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , numeral 92 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and numeral 93 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig9 c with curve 94 shows a time chart of the output voltage using output capacitors of 10 μf , 30 μf , and 60 μf versus time . there is not much impact of the different capacitors . fig1 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos with inrush current control . fig1 a with curve 100 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is 220 ma compared to 7 . 8 as shown in fig9 a without inrush current control . fig1 b with curves 101 - 103 shows inrush currents with inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf versus time . curve 101 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , curve 102 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and curve 103 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig1 c with curve 104 shows a time chart of the output voltage . there are only very small differences of the output voltage when using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf . it should also be noted that the description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the proposed methods and systems . those skilled in the art will be able to implement various arrangements that , although not explicitly described or shown herein , embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope . furthermore , all examples and embodiment outlined in the present document are principally intended expressly to be only for explanatory purposes to help the reader in understanding the principles of the proposed methods and systems . furthermore , all statements herein providing principles , aspects , and embodiments of the invention , as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass equivalents thereof . | Should this patent be classified under 'Physics'? | Is 'Human Necessities' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 8b6162e51c079b766483d8e0797397e3262cd7434850a23724b942241f9d42cd | 0.269531 | 0.001648 | 0.219727 | 0.000096 | 0.253906 | 0.001328 |
null | first , the characteristics of a non - limiting example of an ldo regulator regulated at 3 . 0 v with 60 μf ( before voltage and temperature deteriorating effects ) capacitor is presented . fig1 illustrates output voltage and supply current of such an ldo during start - up . it shows the characteristic of the output voltage ( vout ) 10 and inrush current 11 through the output pass device ( iout ) during start - up . t1 : all internal nodes of the ldo are discharged and biasing up . the output node is charging an external capacitor without control on the output current and a high inrush current 10 a is possible ( as shown in the dashed ellipse ), such a high inrush current may be harmful for the circuit and the supply ; t2 : internal slew rate controlled phase : an internal miller capacitor starts to charge up while an internal ldo current limit circuit has not yet started to operate ; t3 : the internal current limit circuit kicks in ; t4 : the output voltage reaches 90 % of the final regulated target value . fig2 illustrates a schematic of an exemplary ldo circuit having an output capacitor connected to a miller compensation capacitor . fig2 shows three gain stages with internal miller compensation . fig2 comprises the components of a basic integrated ldo , namely a pass transistor mpout 24 , a voltage divider ( r0 + r1 )/( r0 + r1 + r2 ), a feedback node fbk , and a differential pair stage ( mp1 , mp2 mn1 , and mn2 ) controlling the pass transistor mpout and a miller capacitor cmiller . furthermore an external output capacitor cout is provided . a current limit loop comprises feedback node fbk , nodes vd1 , vd2 , vd3 , and vd4 , current comparator 21 , transistor mn3 , and voltage comparator 22 , wherein both comparators are connected to a control circuit 23 comprising transistors mpswrt , mp4 and mp3 . the gates of mp3 and mp4 are connected to node vd4 , which is controlling the gate of the power switch mpout . the gate of mpswt is connected to the output of the voltage comparator 22 , which is detecting if the output voltage of the ldo has reached e . g . 90 % of the final regulated target voltage . the control circuit 23 provides input to the current comparator 21 which is controlling node vd3 via transistor mn3 the transistors mp3 and mp4 of the control circuit 23 mirror the current lout from the power transistor mpout to the current comparator 21 . the ratio of the current mirroring is : wherein w = channel width , l = channel length , and assuming that all the devices ( mp3 , mp4 , and mpout ) have same channel length and channel width but mpout has more units in parallel ( m ) and mp4 has more units in series ( n ). at the beginning of the start - up of the ldo of fig2 the output node ( vout ) 20 is completely discharged , hence the feedback node ( fbk ) 25 is low . the input differential pair ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ), building the 1 st gain stage , is completely unbalanced ( fbk voltage is close to ground voltage and the reference voltage vref is relatively high ) and the node vd2 is low forcing the output vd3 of the second gain stage a1 to be high and the output vd4 of the third gain stage a2 to be low . the node vd4 drives directly the gate of the output pass device mpout , which is connected to the supply voltage vin . if at start - up the node vd4 is close to ground , the output pass device mpout is completely turned on with a high gate to source voltage and behaves like a switch and a high inrush current is flowing . it is only when the output vd2 of the differential pair of the 1 st stage ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ) has reached the same level of biasing to match the opposite branch voltage vd1 that the second gain stage a1 and the third gain stage a2 can take control of the regulation loop that the output current is enabled to start to be limited . phase t3 is when the current limit kicks in because the circuit requires to operate a minimum vout . the voltage at node vd1 is in the preferred embodiment equivalent of gate - source voltage of device mn1 ( about 0 . 6 v ), i . e . the peak output inrush current during phase t1 ( the time can be defined in design , i . e . 50 μs ) is therefore : fig1 and 2 show that inrush current limitations should be activated in phase 1 already . fig3 illustrates how the problem of inrush current is being addressed in phase 1 already . a pre - charge circuit 30 is activated by an enable ldo signal as soon as the ldo is turned on and will immediately bias node vd2 close to the voltage of node vd1 . pre - charging of the node vd2 is done through a replica mn6 of the mn1 device ; hence the circuit can closely track the changes due to pvt variations . a current mode buffer mn4 , mn5 has to clamp the voltage at node vd2 while the ldo is powering up . the pre - charge circuit 30 comprises a current mode buffer 40 comprising transistors mn4 and mn5 . the pre - charge circuit 30 will remain in operation for a time long enough to ensure that the biasing of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , mn2 is close to the final biasing conditions . in the example of the preferred embodiment the delay circuit 31 is set to approximately 100 μs , which is long enough to cover for the worst case conditions over pvt corners . after this delay , this pre - charge circuit is turned off and the mn4 device stops providing current ; the vd2 node is regulated now by the control loop of the ldo . furthermore a miller capacitor cmiller is connected between the output of the ldo and a miller node 25 . a further improvement to the method ( not shown in fig3 ) is to attach to node vd1 , in parallel to device mn1 , node a dummy replica of the device mn4 in order to balance the capacitive load between the two branches of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , and mn2 furthermore the current source 32 may be scaled with current rail provided by current source 33 . fig4 shows details of the integrated pre - charge circuit 30 for in - rush current control as implemented in the exemplary ldo shown in fig1 and 2 . as already shown in the circuit of fig3 , fig4 shows the delay circuit 31 , and transistor mn6 , which is a replica of the mn1 . the current mode buffer 40 clamps the voltage at the miller node vd2 shown in fig3 . the pre - charge circuit is disabled after a delay signal from the delay block 31 or in other words biasing of the input differential pair is close to final biasing conditions . in a preferred embodiment the pre - charge circuit 30 is disabled after e . g . about 100 μsecs after an enable signal of the ldo or amplifier circuit . transistor mp40 is connected in a current mirror configuration to the current source 33 generating bias current itail for the input stage as shown in fig3 . this current mirror is configured in a way that a current itail / 2 is provided by transistor mp40 to the pre - charge circuit 30 . transistors mn5 and mn4 are identical transistors connected in a current mirror configuration , therefore the same current itail / 2 flows through both transistors mn5 and mn4 , hence voltage vg1 has about the same value as voltage vd1 shown in fig3 . current itail is the bias current in the main input differential pair . under normal conditions each branch ( mp1 + mn1 and mp2 + mn2 ) have a same current itail / 2 , hence to replicate the vd1 voltage , itail / 2 has to be used . it has to be noted that at start - up point of time the vref pin has a much higher voltage than the fbk pin as the vout node is charging slowly hence at the very beginning of the start - up there is no current flowing through the mp2 + mn2 devices . this way it is easy for the pre - charge circuit 30 to bias the node vd2 to the target value vd1 . fig5 depicts worst case , simulation results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage , regulated at 3 . 0 v , of an ldo with inrush current control of the present disclosure when loaded with 60 μf . the worst case includes temperature of − 40 degrees c . the inrush current has a peak of 523 ma . fig6 illustrates silicon results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage of an ldo , regulated at 2 . 2 v , of the present invention when loaded with 10 μf . the inrush current has a peak of 130 ma . fig5 and 6 show both results from 2 versions of the same ldo . fig5 shows current and voltage diagrams from simulations under worst case conditions , while fig6 shows silicon results of the ldo under typical conditions . fig7 shows a flowchart of a method to reduce inrush current of electronic circuits having a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . a first step 700 depicts a provision of providing an electronic circuit having an input stage and a pre - charge circuit and a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . the next step 701 shows pre - charging a terminal of the miller capacitor , which is connected to an input stage of the electronic circuit , to bias conditions close to normal biasing conditions at the very beginning of a start - up phase of the circuit . step 702 clamping by the pre - charge circuit the terminal of the miller capacitor to a voltage close to normal biasing conditions , while the electronic circuit is starting up . step 703 depicts disabling the pre - charge after a defined timespan being long enough to ensure that the biasing of an input stage of the electronic circuit is close to the final biasing conditions . it should be noted that the method disclosed to pre - charge and clamp the node vd2 at start - up and consequently reduce the inrush current from the supply voltage vin is valid in all pvt conditions . fig8 a + b illustrate time - charts comprising an ldo with and without inrush current control with a large capacitor ( 60 μf ) when the output is regulated at 3 . 0 v . the temperature is ambient temperature , the silicon corner is typical . in fig8 a curve 80 shows a time diagram of the ldo without inrush current control and the peak on the left hand side of curve 80 shows clearly the problem addressed by the present disclosure . furthermore in fig8 a curve 81 illustrates a current diagram with the inrush current control of the present disclosure . the dramatic improvements by the inrush current control are obvious . curve 82 shows the rise of the output voltage of the ldo with inrush current control and curve 83 shows the rise of the voltage without inrush current control . it should be noted that the maximum inrush current amounts to about 8 a as shown by curve 80 . fig9 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos without inrush current control . fig9 a with curve 90 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is about 7 . 8 a . fig9 b with curves 91 - 93 shows peak values of inrush currents without inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 μf ( curve 93 ), 30 μf ( curve 92 ), and 60 μf ( curve 91 ) versus time . numeral 91 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , numeral 92 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and numeral 93 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig9 c with curve 94 shows a time chart of the output voltage using output capacitors of 10 μf , 30 μf , and 60 μf versus time . there is not much impact of the different capacitors . fig1 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos with inrush current control . fig1 a with curve 100 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is 220 ma compared to 7 . 8 as shown in fig9 a without inrush current control . fig1 b with curves 101 - 103 shows inrush currents with inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf versus time . curve 101 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , curve 102 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and curve 103 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig1 c with curve 104 shows a time chart of the output voltage . there are only very small differences of the output voltage when using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf . it should also be noted that the description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the proposed methods and systems . those skilled in the art will be able to implement various arrangements that , although not explicitly described or shown herein , embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope . furthermore , all examples and embodiment outlined in the present document are principally intended expressly to be only for explanatory purposes to help the reader in understanding the principles of the proposed methods and systems . furthermore , all statements herein providing principles , aspects , and embodiments of the invention , as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass equivalents thereof . | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | 8b6162e51c079b766483d8e0797397e3262cd7434850a23724b942241f9d42cd | 0.21875 | 0.003601 | 0.080566 | 0.001549 | 0.217773 | 0.024414 |
null | first , the characteristics of a non - limiting example of an ldo regulator regulated at 3 . 0 v with 60 μf ( before voltage and temperature deteriorating effects ) capacitor is presented . fig1 illustrates output voltage and supply current of such an ldo during start - up . it shows the characteristic of the output voltage ( vout ) 10 and inrush current 11 through the output pass device ( iout ) during start - up . t1 : all internal nodes of the ldo are discharged and biasing up . the output node is charging an external capacitor without control on the output current and a high inrush current 10 a is possible ( as shown in the dashed ellipse ), such a high inrush current may be harmful for the circuit and the supply ; t2 : internal slew rate controlled phase : an internal miller capacitor starts to charge up while an internal ldo current limit circuit has not yet started to operate ; t3 : the internal current limit circuit kicks in ; t4 : the output voltage reaches 90 % of the final regulated target value . fig2 illustrates a schematic of an exemplary ldo circuit having an output capacitor connected to a miller compensation capacitor . fig2 shows three gain stages with internal miller compensation . fig2 comprises the components of a basic integrated ldo , namely a pass transistor mpout 24 , a voltage divider ( r0 + r1 )/( r0 + r1 + r2 ), a feedback node fbk , and a differential pair stage ( mp1 , mp2 mn1 , and mn2 ) controlling the pass transistor mpout and a miller capacitor cmiller . furthermore an external output capacitor cout is provided . a current limit loop comprises feedback node fbk , nodes vd1 , vd2 , vd3 , and vd4 , current comparator 21 , transistor mn3 , and voltage comparator 22 , wherein both comparators are connected to a control circuit 23 comprising transistors mpswrt , mp4 and mp3 . the gates of mp3 and mp4 are connected to node vd4 , which is controlling the gate of the power switch mpout . the gate of mpswt is connected to the output of the voltage comparator 22 , which is detecting if the output voltage of the ldo has reached e . g . 90 % of the final regulated target voltage . the control circuit 23 provides input to the current comparator 21 which is controlling node vd3 via transistor mn3 the transistors mp3 and mp4 of the control circuit 23 mirror the current lout from the power transistor mpout to the current comparator 21 . the ratio of the current mirroring is : wherein w = channel width , l = channel length , and assuming that all the devices ( mp3 , mp4 , and mpout ) have same channel length and channel width but mpout has more units in parallel ( m ) and mp4 has more units in series ( n ). at the beginning of the start - up of the ldo of fig2 the output node ( vout ) 20 is completely discharged , hence the feedback node ( fbk ) 25 is low . the input differential pair ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ), building the 1 st gain stage , is completely unbalanced ( fbk voltage is close to ground voltage and the reference voltage vref is relatively high ) and the node vd2 is low forcing the output vd3 of the second gain stage a1 to be high and the output vd4 of the third gain stage a2 to be low . the node vd4 drives directly the gate of the output pass device mpout , which is connected to the supply voltage vin . if at start - up the node vd4 is close to ground , the output pass device mpout is completely turned on with a high gate to source voltage and behaves like a switch and a high inrush current is flowing . it is only when the output vd2 of the differential pair of the 1 st stage ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ) has reached the same level of biasing to match the opposite branch voltage vd1 that the second gain stage a1 and the third gain stage a2 can take control of the regulation loop that the output current is enabled to start to be limited . phase t3 is when the current limit kicks in because the circuit requires to operate a minimum vout . the voltage at node vd1 is in the preferred embodiment equivalent of gate - source voltage of device mn1 ( about 0 . 6 v ), i . e . the peak output inrush current during phase t1 ( the time can be defined in design , i . e . 50 μs ) is therefore : fig1 and 2 show that inrush current limitations should be activated in phase 1 already . fig3 illustrates how the problem of inrush current is being addressed in phase 1 already . a pre - charge circuit 30 is activated by an enable ldo signal as soon as the ldo is turned on and will immediately bias node vd2 close to the voltage of node vd1 . pre - charging of the node vd2 is done through a replica mn6 of the mn1 device ; hence the circuit can closely track the changes due to pvt variations . a current mode buffer mn4 , mn5 has to clamp the voltage at node vd2 while the ldo is powering up . the pre - charge circuit 30 comprises a current mode buffer 40 comprising transistors mn4 and mn5 . the pre - charge circuit 30 will remain in operation for a time long enough to ensure that the biasing of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , mn2 is close to the final biasing conditions . in the example of the preferred embodiment the delay circuit 31 is set to approximately 100 μs , which is long enough to cover for the worst case conditions over pvt corners . after this delay , this pre - charge circuit is turned off and the mn4 device stops providing current ; the vd2 node is regulated now by the control loop of the ldo . furthermore a miller capacitor cmiller is connected between the output of the ldo and a miller node 25 . a further improvement to the method ( not shown in fig3 ) is to attach to node vd1 , in parallel to device mn1 , node a dummy replica of the device mn4 in order to balance the capacitive load between the two branches of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , and mn2 furthermore the current source 32 may be scaled with current rail provided by current source 33 . fig4 shows details of the integrated pre - charge circuit 30 for in - rush current control as implemented in the exemplary ldo shown in fig1 and 2 . as already shown in the circuit of fig3 , fig4 shows the delay circuit 31 , and transistor mn6 , which is a replica of the mn1 . the current mode buffer 40 clamps the voltage at the miller node vd2 shown in fig3 . the pre - charge circuit is disabled after a delay signal from the delay block 31 or in other words biasing of the input differential pair is close to final biasing conditions . in a preferred embodiment the pre - charge circuit 30 is disabled after e . g . about 100 μsecs after an enable signal of the ldo or amplifier circuit . transistor mp40 is connected in a current mirror configuration to the current source 33 generating bias current itail for the input stage as shown in fig3 . this current mirror is configured in a way that a current itail / 2 is provided by transistor mp40 to the pre - charge circuit 30 . transistors mn5 and mn4 are identical transistors connected in a current mirror configuration , therefore the same current itail / 2 flows through both transistors mn5 and mn4 , hence voltage vg1 has about the same value as voltage vd1 shown in fig3 . current itail is the bias current in the main input differential pair . under normal conditions each branch ( mp1 + mn1 and mp2 + mn2 ) have a same current itail / 2 , hence to replicate the vd1 voltage , itail / 2 has to be used . it has to be noted that at start - up point of time the vref pin has a much higher voltage than the fbk pin as the vout node is charging slowly hence at the very beginning of the start - up there is no current flowing through the mp2 + mn2 devices . this way it is easy for the pre - charge circuit 30 to bias the node vd2 to the target value vd1 . fig5 depicts worst case , simulation results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage , regulated at 3 . 0 v , of an ldo with inrush current control of the present disclosure when loaded with 60 μf . the worst case includes temperature of − 40 degrees c . the inrush current has a peak of 523 ma . fig6 illustrates silicon results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage of an ldo , regulated at 2 . 2 v , of the present invention when loaded with 10 μf . the inrush current has a peak of 130 ma . fig5 and 6 show both results from 2 versions of the same ldo . fig5 shows current and voltage diagrams from simulations under worst case conditions , while fig6 shows silicon results of the ldo under typical conditions . fig7 shows a flowchart of a method to reduce inrush current of electronic circuits having a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . a first step 700 depicts a provision of providing an electronic circuit having an input stage and a pre - charge circuit and a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . the next step 701 shows pre - charging a terminal of the miller capacitor , which is connected to an input stage of the electronic circuit , to bias conditions close to normal biasing conditions at the very beginning of a start - up phase of the circuit . step 702 clamping by the pre - charge circuit the terminal of the miller capacitor to a voltage close to normal biasing conditions , while the electronic circuit is starting up . step 703 depicts disabling the pre - charge after a defined timespan being long enough to ensure that the biasing of an input stage of the electronic circuit is close to the final biasing conditions . it should be noted that the method disclosed to pre - charge and clamp the node vd2 at start - up and consequently reduce the inrush current from the supply voltage vin is valid in all pvt conditions . fig8 a + b illustrate time - charts comprising an ldo with and without inrush current control with a large capacitor ( 60 μf ) when the output is regulated at 3 . 0 v . the temperature is ambient temperature , the silicon corner is typical . in fig8 a curve 80 shows a time diagram of the ldo without inrush current control and the peak on the left hand side of curve 80 shows clearly the problem addressed by the present disclosure . furthermore in fig8 a curve 81 illustrates a current diagram with the inrush current control of the present disclosure . the dramatic improvements by the inrush current control are obvious . curve 82 shows the rise of the output voltage of the ldo with inrush current control and curve 83 shows the rise of the voltage without inrush current control . it should be noted that the maximum inrush current amounts to about 8 a as shown by curve 80 . fig9 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos without inrush current control . fig9 a with curve 90 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is about 7 . 8 a . fig9 b with curves 91 - 93 shows peak values of inrush currents without inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 μf ( curve 93 ), 30 μf ( curve 92 ), and 60 μf ( curve 91 ) versus time . numeral 91 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , numeral 92 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and numeral 93 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig9 c with curve 94 shows a time chart of the output voltage using output capacitors of 10 μf , 30 μf , and 60 μf versus time . there is not much impact of the different capacitors . fig1 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos with inrush current control . fig1 a with curve 100 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is 220 ma compared to 7 . 8 as shown in fig9 a without inrush current control . fig1 b with curves 101 - 103 shows inrush currents with inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf versus time . curve 101 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , curve 102 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and curve 103 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig1 c with curve 104 shows a time chart of the output voltage . there are only very small differences of the output voltage when using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf . it should also be noted that the description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the proposed methods and systems . those skilled in the art will be able to implement various arrangements that , although not explicitly described or shown herein , embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope . furthermore , all examples and embodiment outlined in the present document are principally intended expressly to be only for explanatory purposes to help the reader in understanding the principles of the proposed methods and systems . furthermore , all statements herein providing principles , aspects , and embodiments of the invention , as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass equivalents thereof . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | 8b6162e51c079b766483d8e0797397e3262cd7434850a23724b942241f9d42cd | 0.369141 | 0.005219 | 0.515625 | 0.000191 | 0.396484 | 0.007568 |
null | first , the characteristics of a non - limiting example of an ldo regulator regulated at 3 . 0 v with 60 μf ( before voltage and temperature deteriorating effects ) capacitor is presented . fig1 illustrates output voltage and supply current of such an ldo during start - up . it shows the characteristic of the output voltage ( vout ) 10 and inrush current 11 through the output pass device ( iout ) during start - up . t1 : all internal nodes of the ldo are discharged and biasing up . the output node is charging an external capacitor without control on the output current and a high inrush current 10 a is possible ( as shown in the dashed ellipse ), such a high inrush current may be harmful for the circuit and the supply ; t2 : internal slew rate controlled phase : an internal miller capacitor starts to charge up while an internal ldo current limit circuit has not yet started to operate ; t3 : the internal current limit circuit kicks in ; t4 : the output voltage reaches 90 % of the final regulated target value . fig2 illustrates a schematic of an exemplary ldo circuit having an output capacitor connected to a miller compensation capacitor . fig2 shows three gain stages with internal miller compensation . fig2 comprises the components of a basic integrated ldo , namely a pass transistor mpout 24 , a voltage divider ( r0 + r1 )/( r0 + r1 + r2 ), a feedback node fbk , and a differential pair stage ( mp1 , mp2 mn1 , and mn2 ) controlling the pass transistor mpout and a miller capacitor cmiller . furthermore an external output capacitor cout is provided . a current limit loop comprises feedback node fbk , nodes vd1 , vd2 , vd3 , and vd4 , current comparator 21 , transistor mn3 , and voltage comparator 22 , wherein both comparators are connected to a control circuit 23 comprising transistors mpswrt , mp4 and mp3 . the gates of mp3 and mp4 are connected to node vd4 , which is controlling the gate of the power switch mpout . the gate of mpswt is connected to the output of the voltage comparator 22 , which is detecting if the output voltage of the ldo has reached e . g . 90 % of the final regulated target voltage . the control circuit 23 provides input to the current comparator 21 which is controlling node vd3 via transistor mn3 the transistors mp3 and mp4 of the control circuit 23 mirror the current lout from the power transistor mpout to the current comparator 21 . the ratio of the current mirroring is : wherein w = channel width , l = channel length , and assuming that all the devices ( mp3 , mp4 , and mpout ) have same channel length and channel width but mpout has more units in parallel ( m ) and mp4 has more units in series ( n ). at the beginning of the start - up of the ldo of fig2 the output node ( vout ) 20 is completely discharged , hence the feedback node ( fbk ) 25 is low . the input differential pair ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ), building the 1 st gain stage , is completely unbalanced ( fbk voltage is close to ground voltage and the reference voltage vref is relatively high ) and the node vd2 is low forcing the output vd3 of the second gain stage a1 to be high and the output vd4 of the third gain stage a2 to be low . the node vd4 drives directly the gate of the output pass device mpout , which is connected to the supply voltage vin . if at start - up the node vd4 is close to ground , the output pass device mpout is completely turned on with a high gate to source voltage and behaves like a switch and a high inrush current is flowing . it is only when the output vd2 of the differential pair of the 1 st stage ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ) has reached the same level of biasing to match the opposite branch voltage vd1 that the second gain stage a1 and the third gain stage a2 can take control of the regulation loop that the output current is enabled to start to be limited . phase t3 is when the current limit kicks in because the circuit requires to operate a minimum vout . the voltage at node vd1 is in the preferred embodiment equivalent of gate - source voltage of device mn1 ( about 0 . 6 v ), i . e . the peak output inrush current during phase t1 ( the time can be defined in design , i . e . 50 μs ) is therefore : fig1 and 2 show that inrush current limitations should be activated in phase 1 already . fig3 illustrates how the problem of inrush current is being addressed in phase 1 already . a pre - charge circuit 30 is activated by an enable ldo signal as soon as the ldo is turned on and will immediately bias node vd2 close to the voltage of node vd1 . pre - charging of the node vd2 is done through a replica mn6 of the mn1 device ; hence the circuit can closely track the changes due to pvt variations . a current mode buffer mn4 , mn5 has to clamp the voltage at node vd2 while the ldo is powering up . the pre - charge circuit 30 comprises a current mode buffer 40 comprising transistors mn4 and mn5 . the pre - charge circuit 30 will remain in operation for a time long enough to ensure that the biasing of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , mn2 is close to the final biasing conditions . in the example of the preferred embodiment the delay circuit 31 is set to approximately 100 μs , which is long enough to cover for the worst case conditions over pvt corners . after this delay , this pre - charge circuit is turned off and the mn4 device stops providing current ; the vd2 node is regulated now by the control loop of the ldo . furthermore a miller capacitor cmiller is connected between the output of the ldo and a miller node 25 . a further improvement to the method ( not shown in fig3 ) is to attach to node vd1 , in parallel to device mn1 , node a dummy replica of the device mn4 in order to balance the capacitive load between the two branches of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , and mn2 furthermore the current source 32 may be scaled with current rail provided by current source 33 . fig4 shows details of the integrated pre - charge circuit 30 for in - rush current control as implemented in the exemplary ldo shown in fig1 and 2 . as already shown in the circuit of fig3 , fig4 shows the delay circuit 31 , and transistor mn6 , which is a replica of the mn1 . the current mode buffer 40 clamps the voltage at the miller node vd2 shown in fig3 . the pre - charge circuit is disabled after a delay signal from the delay block 31 or in other words biasing of the input differential pair is close to final biasing conditions . in a preferred embodiment the pre - charge circuit 30 is disabled after e . g . about 100 μsecs after an enable signal of the ldo or amplifier circuit . transistor mp40 is connected in a current mirror configuration to the current source 33 generating bias current itail for the input stage as shown in fig3 . this current mirror is configured in a way that a current itail / 2 is provided by transistor mp40 to the pre - charge circuit 30 . transistors mn5 and mn4 are identical transistors connected in a current mirror configuration , therefore the same current itail / 2 flows through both transistors mn5 and mn4 , hence voltage vg1 has about the same value as voltage vd1 shown in fig3 . current itail is the bias current in the main input differential pair . under normal conditions each branch ( mp1 + mn1 and mp2 + mn2 ) have a same current itail / 2 , hence to replicate the vd1 voltage , itail / 2 has to be used . it has to be noted that at start - up point of time the vref pin has a much higher voltage than the fbk pin as the vout node is charging slowly hence at the very beginning of the start - up there is no current flowing through the mp2 + mn2 devices . this way it is easy for the pre - charge circuit 30 to bias the node vd2 to the target value vd1 . fig5 depicts worst case , simulation results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage , regulated at 3 . 0 v , of an ldo with inrush current control of the present disclosure when loaded with 60 μf . the worst case includes temperature of − 40 degrees c . the inrush current has a peak of 523 ma . fig6 illustrates silicon results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage of an ldo , regulated at 2 . 2 v , of the present invention when loaded with 10 μf . the inrush current has a peak of 130 ma . fig5 and 6 show both results from 2 versions of the same ldo . fig5 shows current and voltage diagrams from simulations under worst case conditions , while fig6 shows silicon results of the ldo under typical conditions . fig7 shows a flowchart of a method to reduce inrush current of electronic circuits having a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . a first step 700 depicts a provision of providing an electronic circuit having an input stage and a pre - charge circuit and a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . the next step 701 shows pre - charging a terminal of the miller capacitor , which is connected to an input stage of the electronic circuit , to bias conditions close to normal biasing conditions at the very beginning of a start - up phase of the circuit . step 702 clamping by the pre - charge circuit the terminal of the miller capacitor to a voltage close to normal biasing conditions , while the electronic circuit is starting up . step 703 depicts disabling the pre - charge after a defined timespan being long enough to ensure that the biasing of an input stage of the electronic circuit is close to the final biasing conditions . it should be noted that the method disclosed to pre - charge and clamp the node vd2 at start - up and consequently reduce the inrush current from the supply voltage vin is valid in all pvt conditions . fig8 a + b illustrate time - charts comprising an ldo with and without inrush current control with a large capacitor ( 60 μf ) when the output is regulated at 3 . 0 v . the temperature is ambient temperature , the silicon corner is typical . in fig8 a curve 80 shows a time diagram of the ldo without inrush current control and the peak on the left hand side of curve 80 shows clearly the problem addressed by the present disclosure . furthermore in fig8 a curve 81 illustrates a current diagram with the inrush current control of the present disclosure . the dramatic improvements by the inrush current control are obvious . curve 82 shows the rise of the output voltage of the ldo with inrush current control and curve 83 shows the rise of the voltage without inrush current control . it should be noted that the maximum inrush current amounts to about 8 a as shown by curve 80 . fig9 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos without inrush current control . fig9 a with curve 90 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is about 7 . 8 a . fig9 b with curves 91 - 93 shows peak values of inrush currents without inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 μf ( curve 93 ), 30 μf ( curve 92 ), and 60 μf ( curve 91 ) versus time . numeral 91 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , numeral 92 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and numeral 93 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig9 c with curve 94 shows a time chart of the output voltage using output capacitors of 10 μf , 30 μf , and 60 μf versus time . there is not much impact of the different capacitors . fig1 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos with inrush current control . fig1 a with curve 100 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is 220 ma compared to 7 . 8 as shown in fig9 a without inrush current control . fig1 b with curves 101 - 103 shows inrush currents with inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf versus time . curve 101 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , curve 102 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and curve 103 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig1 c with curve 104 shows a time chart of the output voltage . there are only very small differences of the output voltage when using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf . it should also be noted that the description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the proposed methods and systems . those skilled in the art will be able to implement various arrangements that , although not explicitly described or shown herein , embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope . furthermore , all examples and embodiment outlined in the present document are principally intended expressly to be only for explanatory purposes to help the reader in understanding the principles of the proposed methods and systems . furthermore , all statements herein providing principles , aspects , and embodiments of the invention , as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass equivalents thereof . | Should this patent be classified under 'Physics'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | 8b6162e51c079b766483d8e0797397e3262cd7434850a23724b942241f9d42cd | 0.265625 | 0.003372 | 0.219727 | 0.003708 | 0.253906 | 0.043945 |
null | first , the characteristics of a non - limiting example of an ldo regulator regulated at 3 . 0 v with 60 μf ( before voltage and temperature deteriorating effects ) capacitor is presented . fig1 illustrates output voltage and supply current of such an ldo during start - up . it shows the characteristic of the output voltage ( vout ) 10 and inrush current 11 through the output pass device ( iout ) during start - up . t1 : all internal nodes of the ldo are discharged and biasing up . the output node is charging an external capacitor without control on the output current and a high inrush current 10 a is possible ( as shown in the dashed ellipse ), such a high inrush current may be harmful for the circuit and the supply ; t2 : internal slew rate controlled phase : an internal miller capacitor starts to charge up while an internal ldo current limit circuit has not yet started to operate ; t3 : the internal current limit circuit kicks in ; t4 : the output voltage reaches 90 % of the final regulated target value . fig2 illustrates a schematic of an exemplary ldo circuit having an output capacitor connected to a miller compensation capacitor . fig2 shows three gain stages with internal miller compensation . fig2 comprises the components of a basic integrated ldo , namely a pass transistor mpout 24 , a voltage divider ( r0 + r1 )/( r0 + r1 + r2 ), a feedback node fbk , and a differential pair stage ( mp1 , mp2 mn1 , and mn2 ) controlling the pass transistor mpout and a miller capacitor cmiller . furthermore an external output capacitor cout is provided . a current limit loop comprises feedback node fbk , nodes vd1 , vd2 , vd3 , and vd4 , current comparator 21 , transistor mn3 , and voltage comparator 22 , wherein both comparators are connected to a control circuit 23 comprising transistors mpswrt , mp4 and mp3 . the gates of mp3 and mp4 are connected to node vd4 , which is controlling the gate of the power switch mpout . the gate of mpswt is connected to the output of the voltage comparator 22 , which is detecting if the output voltage of the ldo has reached e . g . 90 % of the final regulated target voltage . the control circuit 23 provides input to the current comparator 21 which is controlling node vd3 via transistor mn3 the transistors mp3 and mp4 of the control circuit 23 mirror the current lout from the power transistor mpout to the current comparator 21 . the ratio of the current mirroring is : wherein w = channel width , l = channel length , and assuming that all the devices ( mp3 , mp4 , and mpout ) have same channel length and channel width but mpout has more units in parallel ( m ) and mp4 has more units in series ( n ). at the beginning of the start - up of the ldo of fig2 the output node ( vout ) 20 is completely discharged , hence the feedback node ( fbk ) 25 is low . the input differential pair ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ), building the 1 st gain stage , is completely unbalanced ( fbk voltage is close to ground voltage and the reference voltage vref is relatively high ) and the node vd2 is low forcing the output vd3 of the second gain stage a1 to be high and the output vd4 of the third gain stage a2 to be low . the node vd4 drives directly the gate of the output pass device mpout , which is connected to the supply voltage vin . if at start - up the node vd4 is close to ground , the output pass device mpout is completely turned on with a high gate to source voltage and behaves like a switch and a high inrush current is flowing . it is only when the output vd2 of the differential pair of the 1 st stage ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ) has reached the same level of biasing to match the opposite branch voltage vd1 that the second gain stage a1 and the third gain stage a2 can take control of the regulation loop that the output current is enabled to start to be limited . phase t3 is when the current limit kicks in because the circuit requires to operate a minimum vout . the voltage at node vd1 is in the preferred embodiment equivalent of gate - source voltage of device mn1 ( about 0 . 6 v ), i . e . the peak output inrush current during phase t1 ( the time can be defined in design , i . e . 50 μs ) is therefore : fig1 and 2 show that inrush current limitations should be activated in phase 1 already . fig3 illustrates how the problem of inrush current is being addressed in phase 1 already . a pre - charge circuit 30 is activated by an enable ldo signal as soon as the ldo is turned on and will immediately bias node vd2 close to the voltage of node vd1 . pre - charging of the node vd2 is done through a replica mn6 of the mn1 device ; hence the circuit can closely track the changes due to pvt variations . a current mode buffer mn4 , mn5 has to clamp the voltage at node vd2 while the ldo is powering up . the pre - charge circuit 30 comprises a current mode buffer 40 comprising transistors mn4 and mn5 . the pre - charge circuit 30 will remain in operation for a time long enough to ensure that the biasing of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , mn2 is close to the final biasing conditions . in the example of the preferred embodiment the delay circuit 31 is set to approximately 100 μs , which is long enough to cover for the worst case conditions over pvt corners . after this delay , this pre - charge circuit is turned off and the mn4 device stops providing current ; the vd2 node is regulated now by the control loop of the ldo . furthermore a miller capacitor cmiller is connected between the output of the ldo and a miller node 25 . a further improvement to the method ( not shown in fig3 ) is to attach to node vd1 , in parallel to device mn1 , node a dummy replica of the device mn4 in order to balance the capacitive load between the two branches of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , and mn2 furthermore the current source 32 may be scaled with current rail provided by current source 33 . fig4 shows details of the integrated pre - charge circuit 30 for in - rush current control as implemented in the exemplary ldo shown in fig1 and 2 . as already shown in the circuit of fig3 , fig4 shows the delay circuit 31 , and transistor mn6 , which is a replica of the mn1 . the current mode buffer 40 clamps the voltage at the miller node vd2 shown in fig3 . the pre - charge circuit is disabled after a delay signal from the delay block 31 or in other words biasing of the input differential pair is close to final biasing conditions . in a preferred embodiment the pre - charge circuit 30 is disabled after e . g . about 100 μsecs after an enable signal of the ldo or amplifier circuit . transistor mp40 is connected in a current mirror configuration to the current source 33 generating bias current itail for the input stage as shown in fig3 . this current mirror is configured in a way that a current itail / 2 is provided by transistor mp40 to the pre - charge circuit 30 . transistors mn5 and mn4 are identical transistors connected in a current mirror configuration , therefore the same current itail / 2 flows through both transistors mn5 and mn4 , hence voltage vg1 has about the same value as voltage vd1 shown in fig3 . current itail is the bias current in the main input differential pair . under normal conditions each branch ( mp1 + mn1 and mp2 + mn2 ) have a same current itail / 2 , hence to replicate the vd1 voltage , itail / 2 has to be used . it has to be noted that at start - up point of time the vref pin has a much higher voltage than the fbk pin as the vout node is charging slowly hence at the very beginning of the start - up there is no current flowing through the mp2 + mn2 devices . this way it is easy for the pre - charge circuit 30 to bias the node vd2 to the target value vd1 . fig5 depicts worst case , simulation results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage , regulated at 3 . 0 v , of an ldo with inrush current control of the present disclosure when loaded with 60 μf . the worst case includes temperature of − 40 degrees c . the inrush current has a peak of 523 ma . fig6 illustrates silicon results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage of an ldo , regulated at 2 . 2 v , of the present invention when loaded with 10 μf . the inrush current has a peak of 130 ma . fig5 and 6 show both results from 2 versions of the same ldo . fig5 shows current and voltage diagrams from simulations under worst case conditions , while fig6 shows silicon results of the ldo under typical conditions . fig7 shows a flowchart of a method to reduce inrush current of electronic circuits having a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . a first step 700 depicts a provision of providing an electronic circuit having an input stage and a pre - charge circuit and a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . the next step 701 shows pre - charging a terminal of the miller capacitor , which is connected to an input stage of the electronic circuit , to bias conditions close to normal biasing conditions at the very beginning of a start - up phase of the circuit . step 702 clamping by the pre - charge circuit the terminal of the miller capacitor to a voltage close to normal biasing conditions , while the electronic circuit is starting up . step 703 depicts disabling the pre - charge after a defined timespan being long enough to ensure that the biasing of an input stage of the electronic circuit is close to the final biasing conditions . it should be noted that the method disclosed to pre - charge and clamp the node vd2 at start - up and consequently reduce the inrush current from the supply voltage vin is valid in all pvt conditions . fig8 a + b illustrate time - charts comprising an ldo with and without inrush current control with a large capacitor ( 60 μf ) when the output is regulated at 3 . 0 v . the temperature is ambient temperature , the silicon corner is typical . in fig8 a curve 80 shows a time diagram of the ldo without inrush current control and the peak on the left hand side of curve 80 shows clearly the problem addressed by the present disclosure . furthermore in fig8 a curve 81 illustrates a current diagram with the inrush current control of the present disclosure . the dramatic improvements by the inrush current control are obvious . curve 82 shows the rise of the output voltage of the ldo with inrush current control and curve 83 shows the rise of the voltage without inrush current control . it should be noted that the maximum inrush current amounts to about 8 a as shown by curve 80 . fig9 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos without inrush current control . fig9 a with curve 90 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is about 7 . 8 a . fig9 b with curves 91 - 93 shows peak values of inrush currents without inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 μf ( curve 93 ), 30 μf ( curve 92 ), and 60 μf ( curve 91 ) versus time . numeral 91 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , numeral 92 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and numeral 93 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig9 c with curve 94 shows a time chart of the output voltage using output capacitors of 10 μf , 30 μf , and 60 μf versus time . there is not much impact of the different capacitors . fig1 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos with inrush current control . fig1 a with curve 100 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is 220 ma compared to 7 . 8 as shown in fig9 a without inrush current control . fig1 b with curves 101 - 103 shows inrush currents with inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf versus time . curve 101 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , curve 102 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and curve 103 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig1 c with curve 104 shows a time chart of the output voltage . there are only very small differences of the output voltage when using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf . it should also be noted that the description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the proposed methods and systems . those skilled in the art will be able to implement various arrangements that , although not explicitly described or shown herein , embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope . furthermore , all examples and embodiment outlined in the present document are principally intended expressly to be only for explanatory purposes to help the reader in understanding the principles of the proposed methods and systems . furthermore , all statements herein providing principles , aspects , and embodiments of the invention , as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass equivalents thereof . | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | 8b6162e51c079b766483d8e0797397e3262cd7434850a23724b942241f9d42cd | 0.21875 | 0.025513 | 0.080566 | 0.024048 | 0.217773 | 0.162109 |
null | first , the characteristics of a non - limiting example of an ldo regulator regulated at 3 . 0 v with 60 μf ( before voltage and temperature deteriorating effects ) capacitor is presented . fig1 illustrates output voltage and supply current of such an ldo during start - up . it shows the characteristic of the output voltage ( vout ) 10 and inrush current 11 through the output pass device ( iout ) during start - up . t1 : all internal nodes of the ldo are discharged and biasing up . the output node is charging an external capacitor without control on the output current and a high inrush current 10 a is possible ( as shown in the dashed ellipse ), such a high inrush current may be harmful for the circuit and the supply ; t2 : internal slew rate controlled phase : an internal miller capacitor starts to charge up while an internal ldo current limit circuit has not yet started to operate ; t3 : the internal current limit circuit kicks in ; t4 : the output voltage reaches 90 % of the final regulated target value . fig2 illustrates a schematic of an exemplary ldo circuit having an output capacitor connected to a miller compensation capacitor . fig2 shows three gain stages with internal miller compensation . fig2 comprises the components of a basic integrated ldo , namely a pass transistor mpout 24 , a voltage divider ( r0 + r1 )/( r0 + r1 + r2 ), a feedback node fbk , and a differential pair stage ( mp1 , mp2 mn1 , and mn2 ) controlling the pass transistor mpout and a miller capacitor cmiller . furthermore an external output capacitor cout is provided . a current limit loop comprises feedback node fbk , nodes vd1 , vd2 , vd3 , and vd4 , current comparator 21 , transistor mn3 , and voltage comparator 22 , wherein both comparators are connected to a control circuit 23 comprising transistors mpswrt , mp4 and mp3 . the gates of mp3 and mp4 are connected to node vd4 , which is controlling the gate of the power switch mpout . the gate of mpswt is connected to the output of the voltage comparator 22 , which is detecting if the output voltage of the ldo has reached e . g . 90 % of the final regulated target voltage . the control circuit 23 provides input to the current comparator 21 which is controlling node vd3 via transistor mn3 the transistors mp3 and mp4 of the control circuit 23 mirror the current lout from the power transistor mpout to the current comparator 21 . the ratio of the current mirroring is : wherein w = channel width , l = channel length , and assuming that all the devices ( mp3 , mp4 , and mpout ) have same channel length and channel width but mpout has more units in parallel ( m ) and mp4 has more units in series ( n ). at the beginning of the start - up of the ldo of fig2 the output node ( vout ) 20 is completely discharged , hence the feedback node ( fbk ) 25 is low . the input differential pair ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ), building the 1 st gain stage , is completely unbalanced ( fbk voltage is close to ground voltage and the reference voltage vref is relatively high ) and the node vd2 is low forcing the output vd3 of the second gain stage a1 to be high and the output vd4 of the third gain stage a2 to be low . the node vd4 drives directly the gate of the output pass device mpout , which is connected to the supply voltage vin . if at start - up the node vd4 is close to ground , the output pass device mpout is completely turned on with a high gate to source voltage and behaves like a switch and a high inrush current is flowing . it is only when the output vd2 of the differential pair of the 1 st stage ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ) has reached the same level of biasing to match the opposite branch voltage vd1 that the second gain stage a1 and the third gain stage a2 can take control of the regulation loop that the output current is enabled to start to be limited . phase t3 is when the current limit kicks in because the circuit requires to operate a minimum vout . the voltage at node vd1 is in the preferred embodiment equivalent of gate - source voltage of device mn1 ( about 0 . 6 v ), i . e . the peak output inrush current during phase t1 ( the time can be defined in design , i . e . 50 μs ) is therefore : fig1 and 2 show that inrush current limitations should be activated in phase 1 already . fig3 illustrates how the problem of inrush current is being addressed in phase 1 already . a pre - charge circuit 30 is activated by an enable ldo signal as soon as the ldo is turned on and will immediately bias node vd2 close to the voltage of node vd1 . pre - charging of the node vd2 is done through a replica mn6 of the mn1 device ; hence the circuit can closely track the changes due to pvt variations . a current mode buffer mn4 , mn5 has to clamp the voltage at node vd2 while the ldo is powering up . the pre - charge circuit 30 comprises a current mode buffer 40 comprising transistors mn4 and mn5 . the pre - charge circuit 30 will remain in operation for a time long enough to ensure that the biasing of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , mn2 is close to the final biasing conditions . in the example of the preferred embodiment the delay circuit 31 is set to approximately 100 μs , which is long enough to cover for the worst case conditions over pvt corners . after this delay , this pre - charge circuit is turned off and the mn4 device stops providing current ; the vd2 node is regulated now by the control loop of the ldo . furthermore a miller capacitor cmiller is connected between the output of the ldo and a miller node 25 . a further improvement to the method ( not shown in fig3 ) is to attach to node vd1 , in parallel to device mn1 , node a dummy replica of the device mn4 in order to balance the capacitive load between the two branches of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , and mn2 furthermore the current source 32 may be scaled with current rail provided by current source 33 . fig4 shows details of the integrated pre - charge circuit 30 for in - rush current control as implemented in the exemplary ldo shown in fig1 and 2 . as already shown in the circuit of fig3 , fig4 shows the delay circuit 31 , and transistor mn6 , which is a replica of the mn1 . the current mode buffer 40 clamps the voltage at the miller node vd2 shown in fig3 . the pre - charge circuit is disabled after a delay signal from the delay block 31 or in other words biasing of the input differential pair is close to final biasing conditions . in a preferred embodiment the pre - charge circuit 30 is disabled after e . g . about 100 μsecs after an enable signal of the ldo or amplifier circuit . transistor mp40 is connected in a current mirror configuration to the current source 33 generating bias current itail for the input stage as shown in fig3 . this current mirror is configured in a way that a current itail / 2 is provided by transistor mp40 to the pre - charge circuit 30 . transistors mn5 and mn4 are identical transistors connected in a current mirror configuration , therefore the same current itail / 2 flows through both transistors mn5 and mn4 , hence voltage vg1 has about the same value as voltage vd1 shown in fig3 . current itail is the bias current in the main input differential pair . under normal conditions each branch ( mp1 + mn1 and mp2 + mn2 ) have a same current itail / 2 , hence to replicate the vd1 voltage , itail / 2 has to be used . it has to be noted that at start - up point of time the vref pin has a much higher voltage than the fbk pin as the vout node is charging slowly hence at the very beginning of the start - up there is no current flowing through the mp2 + mn2 devices . this way it is easy for the pre - charge circuit 30 to bias the node vd2 to the target value vd1 . fig5 depicts worst case , simulation results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage , regulated at 3 . 0 v , of an ldo with inrush current control of the present disclosure when loaded with 60 μf . the worst case includes temperature of − 40 degrees c . the inrush current has a peak of 523 ma . fig6 illustrates silicon results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage of an ldo , regulated at 2 . 2 v , of the present invention when loaded with 10 μf . the inrush current has a peak of 130 ma . fig5 and 6 show both results from 2 versions of the same ldo . fig5 shows current and voltage diagrams from simulations under worst case conditions , while fig6 shows silicon results of the ldo under typical conditions . fig7 shows a flowchart of a method to reduce inrush current of electronic circuits having a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . a first step 700 depicts a provision of providing an electronic circuit having an input stage and a pre - charge circuit and a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . the next step 701 shows pre - charging a terminal of the miller capacitor , which is connected to an input stage of the electronic circuit , to bias conditions close to normal biasing conditions at the very beginning of a start - up phase of the circuit . step 702 clamping by the pre - charge circuit the terminal of the miller capacitor to a voltage close to normal biasing conditions , while the electronic circuit is starting up . step 703 depicts disabling the pre - charge after a defined timespan being long enough to ensure that the biasing of an input stage of the electronic circuit is close to the final biasing conditions . it should be noted that the method disclosed to pre - charge and clamp the node vd2 at start - up and consequently reduce the inrush current from the supply voltage vin is valid in all pvt conditions . fig8 a + b illustrate time - charts comprising an ldo with and without inrush current control with a large capacitor ( 60 μf ) when the output is regulated at 3 . 0 v . the temperature is ambient temperature , the silicon corner is typical . in fig8 a curve 80 shows a time diagram of the ldo without inrush current control and the peak on the left hand side of curve 80 shows clearly the problem addressed by the present disclosure . furthermore in fig8 a curve 81 illustrates a current diagram with the inrush current control of the present disclosure . the dramatic improvements by the inrush current control are obvious . curve 82 shows the rise of the output voltage of the ldo with inrush current control and curve 83 shows the rise of the voltage without inrush current control . it should be noted that the maximum inrush current amounts to about 8 a as shown by curve 80 . fig9 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos without inrush current control . fig9 a with curve 90 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is about 7 . 8 a . fig9 b with curves 91 - 93 shows peak values of inrush currents without inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 μf ( curve 93 ), 30 μf ( curve 92 ), and 60 μf ( curve 91 ) versus time . numeral 91 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , numeral 92 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and numeral 93 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig9 c with curve 94 shows a time chart of the output voltage using output capacitors of 10 μf , 30 μf , and 60 μf versus time . there is not much impact of the different capacitors . fig1 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos with inrush current control . fig1 a with curve 100 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is 220 ma compared to 7 . 8 as shown in fig9 a without inrush current control . fig1 b with curves 101 - 103 shows inrush currents with inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf versus time . curve 101 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , curve 102 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and curve 103 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig1 c with curve 104 shows a time chart of the output voltage . there are only very small differences of the output voltage when using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf . it should also be noted that the description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the proposed methods and systems . those skilled in the art will be able to implement various arrangements that , although not explicitly described or shown herein , embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope . furthermore , all examples and embodiment outlined in the present document are principally intended expressly to be only for explanatory purposes to help the reader in understanding the principles of the proposed methods and systems . furthermore , all statements herein providing principles , aspects , and embodiments of the invention , as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass equivalents thereof . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Physics'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | 8b6162e51c079b766483d8e0797397e3262cd7434850a23724b942241f9d42cd | 0.476563 | 0.001137 | 0.114258 | 0.000191 | 0.402344 | 0.014954 |
null | first , the characteristics of a non - limiting example of an ldo regulator regulated at 3 . 0 v with 60 μf ( before voltage and temperature deteriorating effects ) capacitor is presented . fig1 illustrates output voltage and supply current of such an ldo during start - up . it shows the characteristic of the output voltage ( vout ) 10 and inrush current 11 through the output pass device ( iout ) during start - up . t1 : all internal nodes of the ldo are discharged and biasing up . the output node is charging an external capacitor without control on the output current and a high inrush current 10 a is possible ( as shown in the dashed ellipse ), such a high inrush current may be harmful for the circuit and the supply ; t2 : internal slew rate controlled phase : an internal miller capacitor starts to charge up while an internal ldo current limit circuit has not yet started to operate ; t3 : the internal current limit circuit kicks in ; t4 : the output voltage reaches 90 % of the final regulated target value . fig2 illustrates a schematic of an exemplary ldo circuit having an output capacitor connected to a miller compensation capacitor . fig2 shows three gain stages with internal miller compensation . fig2 comprises the components of a basic integrated ldo , namely a pass transistor mpout 24 , a voltage divider ( r0 + r1 )/( r0 + r1 + r2 ), a feedback node fbk , and a differential pair stage ( mp1 , mp2 mn1 , and mn2 ) controlling the pass transistor mpout and a miller capacitor cmiller . furthermore an external output capacitor cout is provided . a current limit loop comprises feedback node fbk , nodes vd1 , vd2 , vd3 , and vd4 , current comparator 21 , transistor mn3 , and voltage comparator 22 , wherein both comparators are connected to a control circuit 23 comprising transistors mpswrt , mp4 and mp3 . the gates of mp3 and mp4 are connected to node vd4 , which is controlling the gate of the power switch mpout . the gate of mpswt is connected to the output of the voltage comparator 22 , which is detecting if the output voltage of the ldo has reached e . g . 90 % of the final regulated target voltage . the control circuit 23 provides input to the current comparator 21 which is controlling node vd3 via transistor mn3 the transistors mp3 and mp4 of the control circuit 23 mirror the current lout from the power transistor mpout to the current comparator 21 . the ratio of the current mirroring is : wherein w = channel width , l = channel length , and assuming that all the devices ( mp3 , mp4 , and mpout ) have same channel length and channel width but mpout has more units in parallel ( m ) and mp4 has more units in series ( n ). at the beginning of the start - up of the ldo of fig2 the output node ( vout ) 20 is completely discharged , hence the feedback node ( fbk ) 25 is low . the input differential pair ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ), building the 1 st gain stage , is completely unbalanced ( fbk voltage is close to ground voltage and the reference voltage vref is relatively high ) and the node vd2 is low forcing the output vd3 of the second gain stage a1 to be high and the output vd4 of the third gain stage a2 to be low . the node vd4 drives directly the gate of the output pass device mpout , which is connected to the supply voltage vin . if at start - up the node vd4 is close to ground , the output pass device mpout is completely turned on with a high gate to source voltage and behaves like a switch and a high inrush current is flowing . it is only when the output vd2 of the differential pair of the 1 st stage ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ) has reached the same level of biasing to match the opposite branch voltage vd1 that the second gain stage a1 and the third gain stage a2 can take control of the regulation loop that the output current is enabled to start to be limited . phase t3 is when the current limit kicks in because the circuit requires to operate a minimum vout . the voltage at node vd1 is in the preferred embodiment equivalent of gate - source voltage of device mn1 ( about 0 . 6 v ), i . e . the peak output inrush current during phase t1 ( the time can be defined in design , i . e . 50 μs ) is therefore : fig1 and 2 show that inrush current limitations should be activated in phase 1 already . fig3 illustrates how the problem of inrush current is being addressed in phase 1 already . a pre - charge circuit 30 is activated by an enable ldo signal as soon as the ldo is turned on and will immediately bias node vd2 close to the voltage of node vd1 . pre - charging of the node vd2 is done through a replica mn6 of the mn1 device ; hence the circuit can closely track the changes due to pvt variations . a current mode buffer mn4 , mn5 has to clamp the voltage at node vd2 while the ldo is powering up . the pre - charge circuit 30 comprises a current mode buffer 40 comprising transistors mn4 and mn5 . the pre - charge circuit 30 will remain in operation for a time long enough to ensure that the biasing of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , mn2 is close to the final biasing conditions . in the example of the preferred embodiment the delay circuit 31 is set to approximately 100 μs , which is long enough to cover for the worst case conditions over pvt corners . after this delay , this pre - charge circuit is turned off and the mn4 device stops providing current ; the vd2 node is regulated now by the control loop of the ldo . furthermore a miller capacitor cmiller is connected between the output of the ldo and a miller node 25 . a further improvement to the method ( not shown in fig3 ) is to attach to node vd1 , in parallel to device mn1 , node a dummy replica of the device mn4 in order to balance the capacitive load between the two branches of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , and mn2 furthermore the current source 32 may be scaled with current rail provided by current source 33 . fig4 shows details of the integrated pre - charge circuit 30 for in - rush current control as implemented in the exemplary ldo shown in fig1 and 2 . as already shown in the circuit of fig3 , fig4 shows the delay circuit 31 , and transistor mn6 , which is a replica of the mn1 . the current mode buffer 40 clamps the voltage at the miller node vd2 shown in fig3 . the pre - charge circuit is disabled after a delay signal from the delay block 31 or in other words biasing of the input differential pair is close to final biasing conditions . in a preferred embodiment the pre - charge circuit 30 is disabled after e . g . about 100 μsecs after an enable signal of the ldo or amplifier circuit . transistor mp40 is connected in a current mirror configuration to the current source 33 generating bias current itail for the input stage as shown in fig3 . this current mirror is configured in a way that a current itail / 2 is provided by transistor mp40 to the pre - charge circuit 30 . transistors mn5 and mn4 are identical transistors connected in a current mirror configuration , therefore the same current itail / 2 flows through both transistors mn5 and mn4 , hence voltage vg1 has about the same value as voltage vd1 shown in fig3 . current itail is the bias current in the main input differential pair . under normal conditions each branch ( mp1 + mn1 and mp2 + mn2 ) have a same current itail / 2 , hence to replicate the vd1 voltage , itail / 2 has to be used . it has to be noted that at start - up point of time the vref pin has a much higher voltage than the fbk pin as the vout node is charging slowly hence at the very beginning of the start - up there is no current flowing through the mp2 + mn2 devices . this way it is easy for the pre - charge circuit 30 to bias the node vd2 to the target value vd1 . fig5 depicts worst case , simulation results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage , regulated at 3 . 0 v , of an ldo with inrush current control of the present disclosure when loaded with 60 μf . the worst case includes temperature of − 40 degrees c . the inrush current has a peak of 523 ma . fig6 illustrates silicon results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage of an ldo , regulated at 2 . 2 v , of the present invention when loaded with 10 μf . the inrush current has a peak of 130 ma . fig5 and 6 show both results from 2 versions of the same ldo . fig5 shows current and voltage diagrams from simulations under worst case conditions , while fig6 shows silicon results of the ldo under typical conditions . fig7 shows a flowchart of a method to reduce inrush current of electronic circuits having a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . a first step 700 depicts a provision of providing an electronic circuit having an input stage and a pre - charge circuit and a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . the next step 701 shows pre - charging a terminal of the miller capacitor , which is connected to an input stage of the electronic circuit , to bias conditions close to normal biasing conditions at the very beginning of a start - up phase of the circuit . step 702 clamping by the pre - charge circuit the terminal of the miller capacitor to a voltage close to normal biasing conditions , while the electronic circuit is starting up . step 703 depicts disabling the pre - charge after a defined timespan being long enough to ensure that the biasing of an input stage of the electronic circuit is close to the final biasing conditions . it should be noted that the method disclosed to pre - charge and clamp the node vd2 at start - up and consequently reduce the inrush current from the supply voltage vin is valid in all pvt conditions . fig8 a + b illustrate time - charts comprising an ldo with and without inrush current control with a large capacitor ( 60 μf ) when the output is regulated at 3 . 0 v . the temperature is ambient temperature , the silicon corner is typical . in fig8 a curve 80 shows a time diagram of the ldo without inrush current control and the peak on the left hand side of curve 80 shows clearly the problem addressed by the present disclosure . furthermore in fig8 a curve 81 illustrates a current diagram with the inrush current control of the present disclosure . the dramatic improvements by the inrush current control are obvious . curve 82 shows the rise of the output voltage of the ldo with inrush current control and curve 83 shows the rise of the voltage without inrush current control . it should be noted that the maximum inrush current amounts to about 8 a as shown by curve 80 . fig9 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos without inrush current control . fig9 a with curve 90 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is about 7 . 8 a . fig9 b with curves 91 - 93 shows peak values of inrush currents without inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 μf ( curve 93 ), 30 μf ( curve 92 ), and 60 μf ( curve 91 ) versus time . numeral 91 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , numeral 92 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and numeral 93 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig9 c with curve 94 shows a time chart of the output voltage using output capacitors of 10 μf , 30 μf , and 60 μf versus time . there is not much impact of the different capacitors . fig1 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos with inrush current control . fig1 a with curve 100 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is 220 ma compared to 7 . 8 as shown in fig9 a without inrush current control . fig1 b with curves 101 - 103 shows inrush currents with inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf versus time . curve 101 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , curve 102 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and curve 103 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig1 c with curve 104 shows a time chart of the output voltage . there are only very small differences of the output voltage when using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf . it should also be noted that the description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the proposed methods and systems . those skilled in the art will be able to implement various arrangements that , although not explicitly described or shown herein , embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope . furthermore , all examples and embodiment outlined in the present document are principally intended expressly to be only for explanatory purposes to help the reader in understanding the principles of the proposed methods and systems . furthermore , all statements herein providing principles , aspects , and embodiments of the invention , as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass equivalents thereof . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Physics'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | 8b6162e51c079b766483d8e0797397e3262cd7434850a23724b942241f9d42cd | 0.476563 | 0.472656 | 0.114258 | 0.546875 | 0.402344 | 0.695313 |
null | first , the characteristics of a non - limiting example of an ldo regulator regulated at 3 . 0 v with 60 μf ( before voltage and temperature deteriorating effects ) capacitor is presented . fig1 illustrates output voltage and supply current of such an ldo during start - up . it shows the characteristic of the output voltage ( vout ) 10 and inrush current 11 through the output pass device ( iout ) during start - up . t1 : all internal nodes of the ldo are discharged and biasing up . the output node is charging an external capacitor without control on the output current and a high inrush current 10 a is possible ( as shown in the dashed ellipse ), such a high inrush current may be harmful for the circuit and the supply ; t2 : internal slew rate controlled phase : an internal miller capacitor starts to charge up while an internal ldo current limit circuit has not yet started to operate ; t3 : the internal current limit circuit kicks in ; t4 : the output voltage reaches 90 % of the final regulated target value . fig2 illustrates a schematic of an exemplary ldo circuit having an output capacitor connected to a miller compensation capacitor . fig2 shows three gain stages with internal miller compensation . fig2 comprises the components of a basic integrated ldo , namely a pass transistor mpout 24 , a voltage divider ( r0 + r1 )/( r0 + r1 + r2 ), a feedback node fbk , and a differential pair stage ( mp1 , mp2 mn1 , and mn2 ) controlling the pass transistor mpout and a miller capacitor cmiller . furthermore an external output capacitor cout is provided . a current limit loop comprises feedback node fbk , nodes vd1 , vd2 , vd3 , and vd4 , current comparator 21 , transistor mn3 , and voltage comparator 22 , wherein both comparators are connected to a control circuit 23 comprising transistors mpswrt , mp4 and mp3 . the gates of mp3 and mp4 are connected to node vd4 , which is controlling the gate of the power switch mpout . the gate of mpswt is connected to the output of the voltage comparator 22 , which is detecting if the output voltage of the ldo has reached e . g . 90 % of the final regulated target voltage . the control circuit 23 provides input to the current comparator 21 which is controlling node vd3 via transistor mn3 the transistors mp3 and mp4 of the control circuit 23 mirror the current lout from the power transistor mpout to the current comparator 21 . the ratio of the current mirroring is : wherein w = channel width , l = channel length , and assuming that all the devices ( mp3 , mp4 , and mpout ) have same channel length and channel width but mpout has more units in parallel ( m ) and mp4 has more units in series ( n ). at the beginning of the start - up of the ldo of fig2 the output node ( vout ) 20 is completely discharged , hence the feedback node ( fbk ) 25 is low . the input differential pair ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ), building the 1 st gain stage , is completely unbalanced ( fbk voltage is close to ground voltage and the reference voltage vref is relatively high ) and the node vd2 is low forcing the output vd3 of the second gain stage a1 to be high and the output vd4 of the third gain stage a2 to be low . the node vd4 drives directly the gate of the output pass device mpout , which is connected to the supply voltage vin . if at start - up the node vd4 is close to ground , the output pass device mpout is completely turned on with a high gate to source voltage and behaves like a switch and a high inrush current is flowing . it is only when the output vd2 of the differential pair of the 1 st stage ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ) has reached the same level of biasing to match the opposite branch voltage vd1 that the second gain stage a1 and the third gain stage a2 can take control of the regulation loop that the output current is enabled to start to be limited . phase t3 is when the current limit kicks in because the circuit requires to operate a minimum vout . the voltage at node vd1 is in the preferred embodiment equivalent of gate - source voltage of device mn1 ( about 0 . 6 v ), i . e . the peak output inrush current during phase t1 ( the time can be defined in design , i . e . 50 μs ) is therefore : fig1 and 2 show that inrush current limitations should be activated in phase 1 already . fig3 illustrates how the problem of inrush current is being addressed in phase 1 already . a pre - charge circuit 30 is activated by an enable ldo signal as soon as the ldo is turned on and will immediately bias node vd2 close to the voltage of node vd1 . pre - charging of the node vd2 is done through a replica mn6 of the mn1 device ; hence the circuit can closely track the changes due to pvt variations . a current mode buffer mn4 , mn5 has to clamp the voltage at node vd2 while the ldo is powering up . the pre - charge circuit 30 comprises a current mode buffer 40 comprising transistors mn4 and mn5 . the pre - charge circuit 30 will remain in operation for a time long enough to ensure that the biasing of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , mn2 is close to the final biasing conditions . in the example of the preferred embodiment the delay circuit 31 is set to approximately 100 μs , which is long enough to cover for the worst case conditions over pvt corners . after this delay , this pre - charge circuit is turned off and the mn4 device stops providing current ; the vd2 node is regulated now by the control loop of the ldo . furthermore a miller capacitor cmiller is connected between the output of the ldo and a miller node 25 . a further improvement to the method ( not shown in fig3 ) is to attach to node vd1 , in parallel to device mn1 , node a dummy replica of the device mn4 in order to balance the capacitive load between the two branches of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , and mn2 furthermore the current source 32 may be scaled with current rail provided by current source 33 . fig4 shows details of the integrated pre - charge circuit 30 for in - rush current control as implemented in the exemplary ldo shown in fig1 and 2 . as already shown in the circuit of fig3 , fig4 shows the delay circuit 31 , and transistor mn6 , which is a replica of the mn1 . the current mode buffer 40 clamps the voltage at the miller node vd2 shown in fig3 . the pre - charge circuit is disabled after a delay signal from the delay block 31 or in other words biasing of the input differential pair is close to final biasing conditions . in a preferred embodiment the pre - charge circuit 30 is disabled after e . g . about 100 μsecs after an enable signal of the ldo or amplifier circuit . transistor mp40 is connected in a current mirror configuration to the current source 33 generating bias current itail for the input stage as shown in fig3 . this current mirror is configured in a way that a current itail / 2 is provided by transistor mp40 to the pre - charge circuit 30 . transistors mn5 and mn4 are identical transistors connected in a current mirror configuration , therefore the same current itail / 2 flows through both transistors mn5 and mn4 , hence voltage vg1 has about the same value as voltage vd1 shown in fig3 . current itail is the bias current in the main input differential pair . under normal conditions each branch ( mp1 + mn1 and mp2 + mn2 ) have a same current itail / 2 , hence to replicate the vd1 voltage , itail / 2 has to be used . it has to be noted that at start - up point of time the vref pin has a much higher voltage than the fbk pin as the vout node is charging slowly hence at the very beginning of the start - up there is no current flowing through the mp2 + mn2 devices . this way it is easy for the pre - charge circuit 30 to bias the node vd2 to the target value vd1 . fig5 depicts worst case , simulation results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage , regulated at 3 . 0 v , of an ldo with inrush current control of the present disclosure when loaded with 60 μf . the worst case includes temperature of − 40 degrees c . the inrush current has a peak of 523 ma . fig6 illustrates silicon results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage of an ldo , regulated at 2 . 2 v , of the present invention when loaded with 10 μf . the inrush current has a peak of 130 ma . fig5 and 6 show both results from 2 versions of the same ldo . fig5 shows current and voltage diagrams from simulations under worst case conditions , while fig6 shows silicon results of the ldo under typical conditions . fig7 shows a flowchart of a method to reduce inrush current of electronic circuits having a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . a first step 700 depicts a provision of providing an electronic circuit having an input stage and a pre - charge circuit and a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . the next step 701 shows pre - charging a terminal of the miller capacitor , which is connected to an input stage of the electronic circuit , to bias conditions close to normal biasing conditions at the very beginning of a start - up phase of the circuit . step 702 clamping by the pre - charge circuit the terminal of the miller capacitor to a voltage close to normal biasing conditions , while the electronic circuit is starting up . step 703 depicts disabling the pre - charge after a defined timespan being long enough to ensure that the biasing of an input stage of the electronic circuit is close to the final biasing conditions . it should be noted that the method disclosed to pre - charge and clamp the node vd2 at start - up and consequently reduce the inrush current from the supply voltage vin is valid in all pvt conditions . fig8 a + b illustrate time - charts comprising an ldo with and without inrush current control with a large capacitor ( 60 μf ) when the output is regulated at 3 . 0 v . the temperature is ambient temperature , the silicon corner is typical . in fig8 a curve 80 shows a time diagram of the ldo without inrush current control and the peak on the left hand side of curve 80 shows clearly the problem addressed by the present disclosure . furthermore in fig8 a curve 81 illustrates a current diagram with the inrush current control of the present disclosure . the dramatic improvements by the inrush current control are obvious . curve 82 shows the rise of the output voltage of the ldo with inrush current control and curve 83 shows the rise of the voltage without inrush current control . it should be noted that the maximum inrush current amounts to about 8 a as shown by curve 80 . fig9 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos without inrush current control . fig9 a with curve 90 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is about 7 . 8 a . fig9 b with curves 91 - 93 shows peak values of inrush currents without inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 μf ( curve 93 ), 30 μf ( curve 92 ), and 60 μf ( curve 91 ) versus time . numeral 91 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , numeral 92 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and numeral 93 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig9 c with curve 94 shows a time chart of the output voltage using output capacitors of 10 μf , 30 μf , and 60 μf versus time . there is not much impact of the different capacitors . fig1 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos with inrush current control . fig1 a with curve 100 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is 220 ma compared to 7 . 8 as shown in fig9 a without inrush current control . fig1 b with curves 101 - 103 shows inrush currents with inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf versus time . curve 101 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , curve 102 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and curve 103 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig1 c with curve 104 shows a time chart of the output voltage . there are only very small differences of the output voltage when using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf . it should also be noted that the description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the proposed methods and systems . those skilled in the art will be able to implement various arrangements that , although not explicitly described or shown herein , embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope . furthermore , all examples and embodiment outlined in the present document are principally intended expressly to be only for explanatory purposes to help the reader in understanding the principles of the proposed methods and systems . furthermore , all statements herein providing principles , aspects , and embodiments of the invention , as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass equivalents thereof . | 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 | 8b6162e51c079b766483d8e0797397e3262cd7434850a23724b942241f9d42cd | 0.21875 | 0.06543 | 0.080566 | 0.114258 | 0.217773 | 0.133789 |
null | fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a representative coating system according to the present invention . not specifically shown in this fig1 , is a substrate upon which the coating system is applied ( vehicle , building , etc ). from our discussion of this inventive coating system however , those skilled in the art will readily recognize nearly any material may serve as a substrate , and further appreciate the wide applicability of such systems , in a virtually limitless set of fields . returning now to that fig1 , the particular coating system 100 shown therein comprises a number of layers — each generally providing particular function . and while the particular system 100 shown in this fig1 includes seven ( 7 ) layers , the actual number of layers and the function ( s ) of each , may advantageously vary from application to application . as shown in fig1 , corrosion inhibitor layer 110 , shown at the bottom of this particular system 100 , is adjacent to , and bonds the system 100 to a substrate ( not shown ). such corrosion inhibiting materials are generally well known and may include inorganic conversion materials and / or active polymeric materials as appropriate . of further advantage , certain corrosion inhibiting materials that may comprise this corrosion inhibition layer 110 may advantageously , chemically self - heal . by way of example only , certain chromium complexes on aluminum substrates have the ability to self - heal . shown overlying the corrosion inhibition layer 110 is a power layer 120 , which in this exemplary system , provides power to other layers as required . advantageously , with our inventive system , a power layer 120 such as that depicted , need not merely distribute power to the other layers , it may additionally / alternatively regulate and / or filter power for use by other layers . still further , such layers may be made electrochemically active such that they generate power , in addition to regulating / filtering the power so generated . a sensor / sensing package layer 130 is shown in fig1 overlying the power layer 120 . advantageously , the sensor / sensing package layer 130 may include a plurality of sensors , of similar or dissimilar type . types of sensors included in layer 130 may include , temperature , strain , conductivity , pressure , corrosion , substrate integrity , radiation levels , chemicals , etc . such sensor package layer ( s ) 130 may be provided in flexible arrays , capable of physically conforming to a variety of substrate shapes and surface characteristics . in certain applications there may be more than one sensing layer . in other applications , a sensing layer may be used that comprises one - or - more sensor types located adjacent to each other in the sensing layer . of further advantage , sensor output may be relayed or otherwise transmitted to remote systems or displays for notification and / or action — as appropriate . of course , it is not necessary to transmit sensor data / information to systems “ outside ” of the coating structure 100 . advantageously , data / information processing systems may also reside within the coating structure 100 , in close physical proximity to the sensor layer 130 and its accompanying sensors . such a local data / information processing layer comprises artificial intelligence ( ai )/ network layer 140 shown in this fig1 overlying the sensor layer 130 . such ai layer ( s ) 140 may advantageously receive as input , data which is sensed by sensor layer 130 and process and / or react to that input data as appropriate . one such reaction to input data may include , for example , color or pattern changing to provide camouflage or other color characteristic ( s ). shown in fig1 is a visual display layer 160 , which may advantageously “ react ” to environmental conditions . one such use of this particular visual display layer 160 is to provide the aesthetic / tactical color - change characteristic described previously namely , changing color to camouflage or provide pleasing aesthetics . alternatively , such color change ( s ) may be advantageously used to provide information about the status / condition of the coating system 100 , itself . by way of example , recall that one sensory function of sensor layer 140 may be to sense / monitor the integrity of the coating system itself . accordingly , when a breach , or sufficient change to the coating is detected from corrosion say , the sensor layer 140 may provide data to the ai layer 140 which in turn signals the visual layer 150 to change to a color indicative of the corrosion and / or breach . alternatively and of further advantage , with particular visual layers 160 , it is not necessary to be explicitly signaled from sensory / processing layers to initiate the color change . for example , visual display layers 160 which change color upon physical / chemical contact with air , contaminants , temperature are all useful for our purposes . in this manner , the visual display layer 160 itself changes , without any interaction from other layers within the coating system 100 . by way of further example , a visual display layer 160 that is “ discolored ”, may be indicative of a breach or contact with particular environmental conditions . multi - colored visual displays 160 , may be indicative of multiple instances of contact with diverse environment ( s ). shown overlying the visual display layer 160 , is self - repair layer 170 . as is known to those skilled in the art , self - repair and micro - encapsulation techniques are in their infancy . as can be greatly appreciated by those skilled in the art , self - repair or self - healing layer ( s ) present the possibility for repair , with little or no human intervention . an obvious analogy is that of biological systems that automatically and autonomically initiate self - repair when they sustain damage . the development of autonomous self - repairing or self - healing materials such as those employed in self - repair layer 170 is ongoing . nevertheless , one useful approach to this self - healing layer 170 is through the use of microcapsules containing materials such as monomers than can repair coating damage by polymerizing or through other appropriate chemical or physical means . as may be known by those skilled in the art , microcapsules are small — 50 - 150 micron — containers that contain and release a small quantity of self - repair material , generally in liquid form , when they are broken . these microcapsules may be mixed , for example , in other known commercially - available topcoats ( paints ) or overcoats . should the overcoating become damaged , the microcapsules break open and release coating repair materials . in effect , the coating system 100 becomes self - healing when damaged . finally , our inventive , representative coating system 100 may comprise new , or otherwise novel materials that work in conjunction with the other system layers , to sense , detect , display , and / or repair the coating and / or substrate , before the system is compromised . turning now to fig2 , there is shown a conceptual diagram depicting a representative color - changing coating system constructed according to the present invention . more specifically , the system 200 includes a thin film sensor 210 layer that senses strain in a substrate , an n - type / p - type doped single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction layer 230 , a thermochromic color display layer 240 and a threshold sensing electronic and power supply circuit 220 . not specifically shown in this fig2 is a heating element layer , which heats the thermochromic display layer 240 thereby initiating its color change in response to the heating . for the purposes of this exemplary embodiment , the electronic and power supply circuitry 220 is not a part of the actual coating per - se . in contrast , the sensor layer 210 , the pn junction layer 230 , and the display layer 240 are all part of the coating film applied to the sample substrate . in this exemplary embodiment , the strain sensor layer 210 provides an indirect measure of substrate corrosion by indicating the strain of a substrate as its material performance — and in particular load bearing characteristics — are modified due to changes caused by the corrosion process . for our exemplary purposes , a substrate which underlies the above - mentioned layers was chosen due to its performance characteristics which include the ability to endure up to 1000 cycles of repeated bending without deformation , which is of interest to demonstrate the long - term applicability of our inventive coating system ( s ). in particular , the substrate chosen for this demonstration was 1018 stainless steel having a ⅛ inch thickness and 4 inch width . the strain sensor layer 210 is a flexible layer and employs a wheatstone bridge design which is the subject of united states patent application no . 2004 / 0255682 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . a consideration for choosing such a bridge design is that it is relatively independent of environmental thermal effects . given the characteristics of the strain to be measured , strain sensor ( s ) having dimensions of substantially 1 . 7 cm × 1 . 7 cm were employed . a number of which were bonded to the steel substrate using a commercially available , epoxy based adhesive . advantageously , the particular adhesive exhibited sufficient after - cure flexibility , while being non - electrically conductive . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , any of a number of such adhesives may be used , and their selection is a matter of design choice . the display layer 240 comprising thermochromic paint was employed to provide visual indication of the measured strain of the steel substrate . while a variety of color changing schemes are possible , the particular one chosen for our exemplary system turns from blue to yellow in color when heated . since this particular thermochromic paint changes color upon heating , a heating layer in contact with the sensor layer and the thermochromic layer was employed . in particular , upon a signal from the strain sensor layer , heating is activated within a heating element , generally depicted in fig2 b . as employed , the heating element 250 comprises a number of printed , silver - ink bus bars 252 , deposed in a field of silver ink film 254 . as can be appreciated , several types of commercially available silver paste / ink ( e . g ., pelco ® collodial silver paste , pelco ® conductive silver 187 and fast drying silver paint ) and caig ( circuitwriter ) were evaluated . the heating layer and element ( s ) had to dissipate uniform heat in order to effect the thermochromic ink ( 40 ° f .) color change within 3 seconds . fast drying silver paint provided satisfactory functionality , namely remain flexible , low resistance and fast drying . the silver ink was then sprayed thinly on kapton (˜ 100 micron thick ). generally , the resistance measured across the heating element is greater than 5 . 0 ohm to ensure color change in the desired interval . a single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction coating ( fig2 - 230 ) is shown in cross sectional schematic form in fig2 c - 260 . as can be seen from this fig2 c , the pn junction 260 , generally comprises an n - type swcnt 256 overlying a p - type swcnt 254 which overlies a substrate 252 . the swcnt were doped and deposited from paint or suspensions of charged and polymer - modified swcnts onto kapton - e . a thick layer (˜ 200 nm ) of au was deposited first on a pre - treated kapton - e surface to serve as a cathode . the swcnt 256 were doped by treatment of the nanotube with charge carrying polymers which techniques are generally known in the art . the length / width dimensions of the pn junction layer was substantially the same as the strain sensor layer . finally , the thermochromic display layer 240 was applied via screen - painting technique ( s ) to a thickness of substantially 100 microns . the display layer 240 was applied such that it overlies the heating element layer . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , display inks that exhibit a significant color change upon a predetermined change in temperature are well known . accordingly , for our exemplary coating , the thermal activation temperature — that is the temperature at which the ink exhibits a significant color change — is established to be substantially 40 ° f . at this point it is useful to note that while we have limited our exemplary discussion to a thermochromic visual display , our invention is advantageously not so limited . in particular , active coatings constructed according to our inventive teachings would benefit from alternative visual display technologies , e . g ., electrochromic and / or electroluminescent . as is generally known , electrochromism is characterized by a reversible color change of a material resulting from the application of an electrical current or potential . one problem with electrochromic devices and materials is the delay needed to produce an optical change , on the order of one full second or more . because of this delay , electrochromic applications have been limited . fortunately this electrochromic delay is quite acceptable for certain applications of our inventive active coating system ( s ). similarly , electroluminescent devices and materials glow when an electrical current is passed through their structures . advantageously , both electroluminescent and electrochromic visual displays may be made extremely thin and flexible , thereby providing a useful visual display for our inventive coating system ( s ). fig2 d is a schematic of an electronic control circuit used to evaluate our inventive coating system . advantageously , a comparator circuit along with a reeds relay , was included in the design to provide output threshold adjustment . this enables the setting and control of the operation level for the thermochromic display ink to change color . it may also used , for example , to prevent overloading when an external analog meter is connected / used . in addition , a 10 - pf capacitor was included at an output port to dampen out any random noise and voltage spike . the reeds relay is used so that an external power source could be used to power the thermochromic display ink instead of draining the op - amp power supply . of course , those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative electronic control circuits are useful with our inventive coating system and that such control circuits are well within the ability of those skilled in the art . turning now to fig3 , there is shown an exploded view of our demonstrative coating system 300 that exemplifies a number of aspects of our invention . more specifically , a chromic color display 310 layer , is shown overlying an electric contact layer 320 , overlying a p - n doped switch layer 330 , overlying a flexible electronics layer 340 , overlying a steel beam layer 350 . such a multi - layer coating can , for example , be employed on military or other vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopter ( s ), aircraft , water - borne vessels , as well as stationary structures and almost any other constructed object that may benefit from such active coatings . advantageously , a coating system such as that shown in fig3 , is able to sense a change in the environment ( applied pressure ), analyze the change and alert a user of the anomaly through a color change . significantly , the steel beam layer 250 is similar ( at least in practice ) to beams found in military vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopters . as can be appreciated , the layer of flexible electronics 340 which overlies the steel beam layer 350 comprises one or more strain gages that sense ( s ) deformation of the steel beam layer 350 , an amplified output signal which is directed to p - n - doped switch layer 330 , which drives the display layer 310 to change color . in our exemplary embodiment , the p - n switch layer is quite thin , i . e ., ≦ 10 microns in thickness . additional exemplary embodiments of a multilayer active coating system constructed according to the teachings of the present invention may now be considered . in particular , an embodiment employing a thin - film sensor that detects when the surface or another layer within the coating system becomes scratched or otherwise damaged . the purpose of such sensing is to alert personnel that a particular portion of the coating system has become compromised and needs maintenance or repair . alternatively , or in conjunction with alerting personnel , the system may initiate self - repair . finally , this embodiment may detect a disruption in an electrically conducting layer of the coating system and provide alert ( s ) to appropriate person ( s ). surface defects in an active coating may be detected by application of a thin film of an electrically conducting material and controlling a change in its conductivity . advantageously , a variety of conducting materials — i . e ., metal , carbon - containing composite , or conducting polymer — may be used . the conducting material is positioned at points of interest , where damage to the coating is to be detected . of further advantage , the conducting material may be fabricated into a sensing element in virtually any shape or size , and subsequently applied by a variety of mechanisms , including suitable adhesives . of course , an active coating such as the one described may include one or more layers that prevent and / or inhibit corrosion and chemically self - repair . for example , a corrosion inhibiting / resistive layer containing chromium or other inorganic materials are known to be both corrosion resistive and exhibit a limited self - repair capability . in addition or alternatively , numerous organic polymeric materials would also suffice as corrosion inhibiting and as such would be principal components to such a corrosion inhibiting layer . fig4 depicts a schematic of a network of sensors for the detection of corrosion and / or damage . with reference to that fig4 , a plurality of sensors 410 [ 1 ] . . . 410 [ n ] comprise a sensor element fabricated from a thin layer of conducting compound or conducting composite . this sensing element , which is only 5 - 50 μm thick , may be covered with a nonconducting protective coating as well . in operation , damage to the overall coating system will result in damage to the sensor element , which may be detected by controller 420 as a change in resistance of the sensing element , and subsequently analyzed by analyzer 430 . advantageously , such a sensitive sensing element may be affected by environmental conditions such as temperature , which may also alter its conductivity and response . consequently , with proper characterization , sensor elements such as that shown in fig4 may be used for sensing these environmental conditions as well . such a sensor element may be prepared on a glass or other suitable substrate including flexible polymers such as kapton for easy inclusion into coating systems . for this exemplary sensor however , orgacon films were spincoated on glass slides for substantially 1 minute using a commercially available spincoater . the resulting films were dried and cured on a hotplate . when prepared in this manner , the flexible polymer film thickness is between 1 and 100 microns . as can be appreciated , v - i relationship ( s ) may be conveniently measured and calculated as : r sq = π ln 2 ( v i ) ≈ 4 . 532 ( v i ) y t = 1 δ t ( r t r 0 - 1 ) where δt = t − 25 ° c . is the deviation of the temperature from standard conditions , rt is the resistance at investigated temperature , and rois the resistance at 25 ° c . turning now to fig5 , there is shown two scratch sensing elements ( a ) and ( b ) which depict linear ( a ) and parallel ( b ) sensing geometries , respectively . such element ( s ) may be prepared by painting the circuit ( s ) on a glass surface as shown and then cured . it should be noted that additional / alternative geometries are possible , depending upon the particular application . fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) show the responses of a 14 strip sensing element where each strip was scratched every 30 seconds . the strips shown in fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) were constructed using orgacon el - p3040 and orgacon el - p 4010 . as can be appreciated , the relatively high resistivity of conductive polymers make them particularly useful in the fabrication of sensing elements such as those shown in fig6 ( a ) and 6 ( b )— and especially so in those sensing elements used for scratches or surfaces that are difficult to access . advantageously , sensors constructed from conductive polymers facilitate the integration into multilayer coatings , such as those which are the subject of the instant application . still further , it is understood by those skilled in the art that such sensors are useful in any situation in which a monitored event will produce a change in resistivity in a sensor layer such as that shown and described . consequently , once an event is sensed , appropriate notification and / or repair may occur , as appropriate . at this point , while we have discussed and described my invention using some specific examples , those skilled in the art will recognize that my teachings are not so limited . more specifically , we have described coatings that exhibit a specific number of layers and compositions . it is understood that additional ( or fewer ) layer ( s ) may be provided by such coatings . accordingly , our invention should be only limited by the scope of the claims attached hereto . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | Is 'Human Necessities' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 96720e14dde23de5f484525c1d279a09da226d8b3ffeff77291d84dd510877d6 | 0.054199 | 0.001984 | 0.005219 | 0.00009 | 0.061768 | 0.002258 |
null | fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a representative coating system according to the present invention . not specifically shown in this fig1 , is a substrate upon which the coating system is applied ( vehicle , building , etc ). from our discussion of this inventive coating system however , those skilled in the art will readily recognize nearly any material may serve as a substrate , and further appreciate the wide applicability of such systems , in a virtually limitless set of fields . returning now to that fig1 , the particular coating system 100 shown therein comprises a number of layers — each generally providing particular function . and while the particular system 100 shown in this fig1 includes seven ( 7 ) layers , the actual number of layers and the function ( s ) of each , may advantageously vary from application to application . as shown in fig1 , corrosion inhibitor layer 110 , shown at the bottom of this particular system 100 , is adjacent to , and bonds the system 100 to a substrate ( not shown ). such corrosion inhibiting materials are generally well known and may include inorganic conversion materials and / or active polymeric materials as appropriate . of further advantage , certain corrosion inhibiting materials that may comprise this corrosion inhibition layer 110 may advantageously , chemically self - heal . by way of example only , certain chromium complexes on aluminum substrates have the ability to self - heal . shown overlying the corrosion inhibition layer 110 is a power layer 120 , which in this exemplary system , provides power to other layers as required . advantageously , with our inventive system , a power layer 120 such as that depicted , need not merely distribute power to the other layers , it may additionally / alternatively regulate and / or filter power for use by other layers . still further , such layers may be made electrochemically active such that they generate power , in addition to regulating / filtering the power so generated . a sensor / sensing package layer 130 is shown in fig1 overlying the power layer 120 . advantageously , the sensor / sensing package layer 130 may include a plurality of sensors , of similar or dissimilar type . types of sensors included in layer 130 may include , temperature , strain , conductivity , pressure , corrosion , substrate integrity , radiation levels , chemicals , etc . such sensor package layer ( s ) 130 may be provided in flexible arrays , capable of physically conforming to a variety of substrate shapes and surface characteristics . in certain applications there may be more than one sensing layer . in other applications , a sensing layer may be used that comprises one - or - more sensor types located adjacent to each other in the sensing layer . of further advantage , sensor output may be relayed or otherwise transmitted to remote systems or displays for notification and / or action — as appropriate . of course , it is not necessary to transmit sensor data / information to systems “ outside ” of the coating structure 100 . advantageously , data / information processing systems may also reside within the coating structure 100 , in close physical proximity to the sensor layer 130 and its accompanying sensors . such a local data / information processing layer comprises artificial intelligence ( ai )/ network layer 140 shown in this fig1 overlying the sensor layer 130 . such ai layer ( s ) 140 may advantageously receive as input , data which is sensed by sensor layer 130 and process and / or react to that input data as appropriate . one such reaction to input data may include , for example , color or pattern changing to provide camouflage or other color characteristic ( s ). shown in fig1 is a visual display layer 160 , which may advantageously “ react ” to environmental conditions . one such use of this particular visual display layer 160 is to provide the aesthetic / tactical color - change characteristic described previously namely , changing color to camouflage or provide pleasing aesthetics . alternatively , such color change ( s ) may be advantageously used to provide information about the status / condition of the coating system 100 , itself . by way of example , recall that one sensory function of sensor layer 140 may be to sense / monitor the integrity of the coating system itself . accordingly , when a breach , or sufficient change to the coating is detected from corrosion say , the sensor layer 140 may provide data to the ai layer 140 which in turn signals the visual layer 150 to change to a color indicative of the corrosion and / or breach . alternatively and of further advantage , with particular visual layers 160 , it is not necessary to be explicitly signaled from sensory / processing layers to initiate the color change . for example , visual display layers 160 which change color upon physical / chemical contact with air , contaminants , temperature are all useful for our purposes . in this manner , the visual display layer 160 itself changes , without any interaction from other layers within the coating system 100 . by way of further example , a visual display layer 160 that is “ discolored ”, may be indicative of a breach or contact with particular environmental conditions . multi - colored visual displays 160 , may be indicative of multiple instances of contact with diverse environment ( s ). shown overlying the visual display layer 160 , is self - repair layer 170 . as is known to those skilled in the art , self - repair and micro - encapsulation techniques are in their infancy . as can be greatly appreciated by those skilled in the art , self - repair or self - healing layer ( s ) present the possibility for repair , with little or no human intervention . an obvious analogy is that of biological systems that automatically and autonomically initiate self - repair when they sustain damage . the development of autonomous self - repairing or self - healing materials such as those employed in self - repair layer 170 is ongoing . nevertheless , one useful approach to this self - healing layer 170 is through the use of microcapsules containing materials such as monomers than can repair coating damage by polymerizing or through other appropriate chemical or physical means . as may be known by those skilled in the art , microcapsules are small — 50 - 150 micron — containers that contain and release a small quantity of self - repair material , generally in liquid form , when they are broken . these microcapsules may be mixed , for example , in other known commercially - available topcoats ( paints ) or overcoats . should the overcoating become damaged , the microcapsules break open and release coating repair materials . in effect , the coating system 100 becomes self - healing when damaged . finally , our inventive , representative coating system 100 may comprise new , or otherwise novel materials that work in conjunction with the other system layers , to sense , detect , display , and / or repair the coating and / or substrate , before the system is compromised . turning now to fig2 , there is shown a conceptual diagram depicting a representative color - changing coating system constructed according to the present invention . more specifically , the system 200 includes a thin film sensor 210 layer that senses strain in a substrate , an n - type / p - type doped single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction layer 230 , a thermochromic color display layer 240 and a threshold sensing electronic and power supply circuit 220 . not specifically shown in this fig2 is a heating element layer , which heats the thermochromic display layer 240 thereby initiating its color change in response to the heating . for the purposes of this exemplary embodiment , the electronic and power supply circuitry 220 is not a part of the actual coating per - se . in contrast , the sensor layer 210 , the pn junction layer 230 , and the display layer 240 are all part of the coating film applied to the sample substrate . in this exemplary embodiment , the strain sensor layer 210 provides an indirect measure of substrate corrosion by indicating the strain of a substrate as its material performance — and in particular load bearing characteristics — are modified due to changes caused by the corrosion process . for our exemplary purposes , a substrate which underlies the above - mentioned layers was chosen due to its performance characteristics which include the ability to endure up to 1000 cycles of repeated bending without deformation , which is of interest to demonstrate the long - term applicability of our inventive coating system ( s ). in particular , the substrate chosen for this demonstration was 1018 stainless steel having a ⅛ inch thickness and 4 inch width . the strain sensor layer 210 is a flexible layer and employs a wheatstone bridge design which is the subject of united states patent application no . 2004 / 0255682 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . a consideration for choosing such a bridge design is that it is relatively independent of environmental thermal effects . given the characteristics of the strain to be measured , strain sensor ( s ) having dimensions of substantially 1 . 7 cm × 1 . 7 cm were employed . a number of which were bonded to the steel substrate using a commercially available , epoxy based adhesive . advantageously , the particular adhesive exhibited sufficient after - cure flexibility , while being non - electrically conductive . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , any of a number of such adhesives may be used , and their selection is a matter of design choice . the display layer 240 comprising thermochromic paint was employed to provide visual indication of the measured strain of the steel substrate . while a variety of color changing schemes are possible , the particular one chosen for our exemplary system turns from blue to yellow in color when heated . since this particular thermochromic paint changes color upon heating , a heating layer in contact with the sensor layer and the thermochromic layer was employed . in particular , upon a signal from the strain sensor layer , heating is activated within a heating element , generally depicted in fig2 b . as employed , the heating element 250 comprises a number of printed , silver - ink bus bars 252 , deposed in a field of silver ink film 254 . as can be appreciated , several types of commercially available silver paste / ink ( e . g ., pelco ® collodial silver paste , pelco ® conductive silver 187 and fast drying silver paint ) and caig ( circuitwriter ) were evaluated . the heating layer and element ( s ) had to dissipate uniform heat in order to effect the thermochromic ink ( 40 ° f .) color change within 3 seconds . fast drying silver paint provided satisfactory functionality , namely remain flexible , low resistance and fast drying . the silver ink was then sprayed thinly on kapton (˜ 100 micron thick ). generally , the resistance measured across the heating element is greater than 5 . 0 ohm to ensure color change in the desired interval . a single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction coating ( fig2 - 230 ) is shown in cross sectional schematic form in fig2 c - 260 . as can be seen from this fig2 c , the pn junction 260 , generally comprises an n - type swcnt 256 overlying a p - type swcnt 254 which overlies a substrate 252 . the swcnt were doped and deposited from paint or suspensions of charged and polymer - modified swcnts onto kapton - e . a thick layer (˜ 200 nm ) of au was deposited first on a pre - treated kapton - e surface to serve as a cathode . the swcnt 256 were doped by treatment of the nanotube with charge carrying polymers which techniques are generally known in the art . the length / width dimensions of the pn junction layer was substantially the same as the strain sensor layer . finally , the thermochromic display layer 240 was applied via screen - painting technique ( s ) to a thickness of substantially 100 microns . the display layer 240 was applied such that it overlies the heating element layer . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , display inks that exhibit a significant color change upon a predetermined change in temperature are well known . accordingly , for our exemplary coating , the thermal activation temperature — that is the temperature at which the ink exhibits a significant color change — is established to be substantially 40 ° f . at this point it is useful to note that while we have limited our exemplary discussion to a thermochromic visual display , our invention is advantageously not so limited . in particular , active coatings constructed according to our inventive teachings would benefit from alternative visual display technologies , e . g ., electrochromic and / or electroluminescent . as is generally known , electrochromism is characterized by a reversible color change of a material resulting from the application of an electrical current or potential . one problem with electrochromic devices and materials is the delay needed to produce an optical change , on the order of one full second or more . because of this delay , electrochromic applications have been limited . fortunately this electrochromic delay is quite acceptable for certain applications of our inventive active coating system ( s ). similarly , electroluminescent devices and materials glow when an electrical current is passed through their structures . advantageously , both electroluminescent and electrochromic visual displays may be made extremely thin and flexible , thereby providing a useful visual display for our inventive coating system ( s ). fig2 d is a schematic of an electronic control circuit used to evaluate our inventive coating system . advantageously , a comparator circuit along with a reeds relay , was included in the design to provide output threshold adjustment . this enables the setting and control of the operation level for the thermochromic display ink to change color . it may also used , for example , to prevent overloading when an external analog meter is connected / used . in addition , a 10 - pf capacitor was included at an output port to dampen out any random noise and voltage spike . the reeds relay is used so that an external power source could be used to power the thermochromic display ink instead of draining the op - amp power supply . of course , those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative electronic control circuits are useful with our inventive coating system and that such control circuits are well within the ability of those skilled in the art . turning now to fig3 , there is shown an exploded view of our demonstrative coating system 300 that exemplifies a number of aspects of our invention . more specifically , a chromic color display 310 layer , is shown overlying an electric contact layer 320 , overlying a p - n doped switch layer 330 , overlying a flexible electronics layer 340 , overlying a steel beam layer 350 . such a multi - layer coating can , for example , be employed on military or other vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopter ( s ), aircraft , water - borne vessels , as well as stationary structures and almost any other constructed object that may benefit from such active coatings . advantageously , a coating system such as that shown in fig3 , is able to sense a change in the environment ( applied pressure ), analyze the change and alert a user of the anomaly through a color change . significantly , the steel beam layer 250 is similar ( at least in practice ) to beams found in military vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopters . as can be appreciated , the layer of flexible electronics 340 which overlies the steel beam layer 350 comprises one or more strain gages that sense ( s ) deformation of the steel beam layer 350 , an amplified output signal which is directed to p - n - doped switch layer 330 , which drives the display layer 310 to change color . in our exemplary embodiment , the p - n switch layer is quite thin , i . e ., ≦ 10 microns in thickness . additional exemplary embodiments of a multilayer active coating system constructed according to the teachings of the present invention may now be considered . in particular , an embodiment employing a thin - film sensor that detects when the surface or another layer within the coating system becomes scratched or otherwise damaged . the purpose of such sensing is to alert personnel that a particular portion of the coating system has become compromised and needs maintenance or repair . alternatively , or in conjunction with alerting personnel , the system may initiate self - repair . finally , this embodiment may detect a disruption in an electrically conducting layer of the coating system and provide alert ( s ) to appropriate person ( s ). surface defects in an active coating may be detected by application of a thin film of an electrically conducting material and controlling a change in its conductivity . advantageously , a variety of conducting materials — i . e ., metal , carbon - containing composite , or conducting polymer — may be used . the conducting material is positioned at points of interest , where damage to the coating is to be detected . of further advantage , the conducting material may be fabricated into a sensing element in virtually any shape or size , and subsequently applied by a variety of mechanisms , including suitable adhesives . of course , an active coating such as the one described may include one or more layers that prevent and / or inhibit corrosion and chemically self - repair . for example , a corrosion inhibiting / resistive layer containing chromium or other inorganic materials are known to be both corrosion resistive and exhibit a limited self - repair capability . in addition or alternatively , numerous organic polymeric materials would also suffice as corrosion inhibiting and as such would be principal components to such a corrosion inhibiting layer . fig4 depicts a schematic of a network of sensors for the detection of corrosion and / or damage . with reference to that fig4 , a plurality of sensors 410 [ 1 ] . . . 410 [ n ] comprise a sensor element fabricated from a thin layer of conducting compound or conducting composite . this sensing element , which is only 5 - 50 μm thick , may be covered with a nonconducting protective coating as well . in operation , damage to the overall coating system will result in damage to the sensor element , which may be detected by controller 420 as a change in resistance of the sensing element , and subsequently analyzed by analyzer 430 . advantageously , such a sensitive sensing element may be affected by environmental conditions such as temperature , which may also alter its conductivity and response . consequently , with proper characterization , sensor elements such as that shown in fig4 may be used for sensing these environmental conditions as well . such a sensor element may be prepared on a glass or other suitable substrate including flexible polymers such as kapton for easy inclusion into coating systems . for this exemplary sensor however , orgacon films were spincoated on glass slides for substantially 1 minute using a commercially available spincoater . the resulting films were dried and cured on a hotplate . when prepared in this manner , the flexible polymer film thickness is between 1 and 100 microns . as can be appreciated , v - i relationship ( s ) may be conveniently measured and calculated as : r sq = π ln 2 ( v i ) ≈ 4 . 532 ( v i ) y t = 1 δ t ( r t r 0 - 1 ) where δt = t − 25 ° c . is the deviation of the temperature from standard conditions , rt is the resistance at investigated temperature , and rois the resistance at 25 ° c . turning now to fig5 , there is shown two scratch sensing elements ( a ) and ( b ) which depict linear ( a ) and parallel ( b ) sensing geometries , respectively . such element ( s ) may be prepared by painting the circuit ( s ) on a glass surface as shown and then cured . it should be noted that additional / alternative geometries are possible , depending upon the particular application . fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) show the responses of a 14 strip sensing element where each strip was scratched every 30 seconds . the strips shown in fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) were constructed using orgacon el - p3040 and orgacon el - p 4010 . as can be appreciated , the relatively high resistivity of conductive polymers make them particularly useful in the fabrication of sensing elements such as those shown in fig6 ( a ) and 6 ( b )— and especially so in those sensing elements used for scratches or surfaces that are difficult to access . advantageously , sensors constructed from conductive polymers facilitate the integration into multilayer coatings , such as those which are the subject of the instant application . still further , it is understood by those skilled in the art that such sensors are useful in any situation in which a monitored event will produce a change in resistivity in a sensor layer such as that shown and described . consequently , once an event is sensed , appropriate notification and / or repair may occur , as appropriate . at this point , while we have discussed and described my invention using some specific examples , those skilled in the art will recognize that my teachings are not so limited . more specifically , we have described coatings that exhibit a specific number of layers and compositions . it is understood that additional ( or fewer ) layer ( s ) may be provided by such coatings . accordingly , our invention should be only limited by the scope of the claims attached hereto . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | 96720e14dde23de5f484525c1d279a09da226d8b3ffeff77291d84dd510877d6 | 0.054199 | 0.048828 | 0.005219 | 0.040771 | 0.061768 | 0.079102 |
null | fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a representative coating system according to the present invention . not specifically shown in this fig1 , is a substrate upon which the coating system is applied ( vehicle , building , etc ). from our discussion of this inventive coating system however , those skilled in the art will readily recognize nearly any material may serve as a substrate , and further appreciate the wide applicability of such systems , in a virtually limitless set of fields . returning now to that fig1 , the particular coating system 100 shown therein comprises a number of layers — each generally providing particular function . and while the particular system 100 shown in this fig1 includes seven ( 7 ) layers , the actual number of layers and the function ( s ) of each , may advantageously vary from application to application . as shown in fig1 , corrosion inhibitor layer 110 , shown at the bottom of this particular system 100 , is adjacent to , and bonds the system 100 to a substrate ( not shown ). such corrosion inhibiting materials are generally well known and may include inorganic conversion materials and / or active polymeric materials as appropriate . of further advantage , certain corrosion inhibiting materials that may comprise this corrosion inhibition layer 110 may advantageously , chemically self - heal . by way of example only , certain chromium complexes on aluminum substrates have the ability to self - heal . shown overlying the corrosion inhibition layer 110 is a power layer 120 , which in this exemplary system , provides power to other layers as required . advantageously , with our inventive system , a power layer 120 such as that depicted , need not merely distribute power to the other layers , it may additionally / alternatively regulate and / or filter power for use by other layers . still further , such layers may be made electrochemically active such that they generate power , in addition to regulating / filtering the power so generated . a sensor / sensing package layer 130 is shown in fig1 overlying the power layer 120 . advantageously , the sensor / sensing package layer 130 may include a plurality of sensors , of similar or dissimilar type . types of sensors included in layer 130 may include , temperature , strain , conductivity , pressure , corrosion , substrate integrity , radiation levels , chemicals , etc . such sensor package layer ( s ) 130 may be provided in flexible arrays , capable of physically conforming to a variety of substrate shapes and surface characteristics . in certain applications there may be more than one sensing layer . in other applications , a sensing layer may be used that comprises one - or - more sensor types located adjacent to each other in the sensing layer . of further advantage , sensor output may be relayed or otherwise transmitted to remote systems or displays for notification and / or action — as appropriate . of course , it is not necessary to transmit sensor data / information to systems “ outside ” of the coating structure 100 . advantageously , data / information processing systems may also reside within the coating structure 100 , in close physical proximity to the sensor layer 130 and its accompanying sensors . such a local data / information processing layer comprises artificial intelligence ( ai )/ network layer 140 shown in this fig1 overlying the sensor layer 130 . such ai layer ( s ) 140 may advantageously receive as input , data which is sensed by sensor layer 130 and process and / or react to that input data as appropriate . one such reaction to input data may include , for example , color or pattern changing to provide camouflage or other color characteristic ( s ). shown in fig1 is a visual display layer 160 , which may advantageously “ react ” to environmental conditions . one such use of this particular visual display layer 160 is to provide the aesthetic / tactical color - change characteristic described previously namely , changing color to camouflage or provide pleasing aesthetics . alternatively , such color change ( s ) may be advantageously used to provide information about the status / condition of the coating system 100 , itself . by way of example , recall that one sensory function of sensor layer 140 may be to sense / monitor the integrity of the coating system itself . accordingly , when a breach , or sufficient change to the coating is detected from corrosion say , the sensor layer 140 may provide data to the ai layer 140 which in turn signals the visual layer 150 to change to a color indicative of the corrosion and / or breach . alternatively and of further advantage , with particular visual layers 160 , it is not necessary to be explicitly signaled from sensory / processing layers to initiate the color change . for example , visual display layers 160 which change color upon physical / chemical contact with air , contaminants , temperature are all useful for our purposes . in this manner , the visual display layer 160 itself changes , without any interaction from other layers within the coating system 100 . by way of further example , a visual display layer 160 that is “ discolored ”, may be indicative of a breach or contact with particular environmental conditions . multi - colored visual displays 160 , may be indicative of multiple instances of contact with diverse environment ( s ). shown overlying the visual display layer 160 , is self - repair layer 170 . as is known to those skilled in the art , self - repair and micro - encapsulation techniques are in their infancy . as can be greatly appreciated by those skilled in the art , self - repair or self - healing layer ( s ) present the possibility for repair , with little or no human intervention . an obvious analogy is that of biological systems that automatically and autonomically initiate self - repair when they sustain damage . the development of autonomous self - repairing or self - healing materials such as those employed in self - repair layer 170 is ongoing . nevertheless , one useful approach to this self - healing layer 170 is through the use of microcapsules containing materials such as monomers than can repair coating damage by polymerizing or through other appropriate chemical or physical means . as may be known by those skilled in the art , microcapsules are small — 50 - 150 micron — containers that contain and release a small quantity of self - repair material , generally in liquid form , when they are broken . these microcapsules may be mixed , for example , in other known commercially - available topcoats ( paints ) or overcoats . should the overcoating become damaged , the microcapsules break open and release coating repair materials . in effect , the coating system 100 becomes self - healing when damaged . finally , our inventive , representative coating system 100 may comprise new , or otherwise novel materials that work in conjunction with the other system layers , to sense , detect , display , and / or repair the coating and / or substrate , before the system is compromised . turning now to fig2 , there is shown a conceptual diagram depicting a representative color - changing coating system constructed according to the present invention . more specifically , the system 200 includes a thin film sensor 210 layer that senses strain in a substrate , an n - type / p - type doped single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction layer 230 , a thermochromic color display layer 240 and a threshold sensing electronic and power supply circuit 220 . not specifically shown in this fig2 is a heating element layer , which heats the thermochromic display layer 240 thereby initiating its color change in response to the heating . for the purposes of this exemplary embodiment , the electronic and power supply circuitry 220 is not a part of the actual coating per - se . in contrast , the sensor layer 210 , the pn junction layer 230 , and the display layer 240 are all part of the coating film applied to the sample substrate . in this exemplary embodiment , the strain sensor layer 210 provides an indirect measure of substrate corrosion by indicating the strain of a substrate as its material performance — and in particular load bearing characteristics — are modified due to changes caused by the corrosion process . for our exemplary purposes , a substrate which underlies the above - mentioned layers was chosen due to its performance characteristics which include the ability to endure up to 1000 cycles of repeated bending without deformation , which is of interest to demonstrate the long - term applicability of our inventive coating system ( s ). in particular , the substrate chosen for this demonstration was 1018 stainless steel having a ⅛ inch thickness and 4 inch width . the strain sensor layer 210 is a flexible layer and employs a wheatstone bridge design which is the subject of united states patent application no . 2004 / 0255682 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . a consideration for choosing such a bridge design is that it is relatively independent of environmental thermal effects . given the characteristics of the strain to be measured , strain sensor ( s ) having dimensions of substantially 1 . 7 cm × 1 . 7 cm were employed . a number of which were bonded to the steel substrate using a commercially available , epoxy based adhesive . advantageously , the particular adhesive exhibited sufficient after - cure flexibility , while being non - electrically conductive . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , any of a number of such adhesives may be used , and their selection is a matter of design choice . the display layer 240 comprising thermochromic paint was employed to provide visual indication of the measured strain of the steel substrate . while a variety of color changing schemes are possible , the particular one chosen for our exemplary system turns from blue to yellow in color when heated . since this particular thermochromic paint changes color upon heating , a heating layer in contact with the sensor layer and the thermochromic layer was employed . in particular , upon a signal from the strain sensor layer , heating is activated within a heating element , generally depicted in fig2 b . as employed , the heating element 250 comprises a number of printed , silver - ink bus bars 252 , deposed in a field of silver ink film 254 . as can be appreciated , several types of commercially available silver paste / ink ( e . g ., pelco ® collodial silver paste , pelco ® conductive silver 187 and fast drying silver paint ) and caig ( circuitwriter ) were evaluated . the heating layer and element ( s ) had to dissipate uniform heat in order to effect the thermochromic ink ( 40 ° f .) color change within 3 seconds . fast drying silver paint provided satisfactory functionality , namely remain flexible , low resistance and fast drying . the silver ink was then sprayed thinly on kapton (˜ 100 micron thick ). generally , the resistance measured across the heating element is greater than 5 . 0 ohm to ensure color change in the desired interval . a single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction coating ( fig2 - 230 ) is shown in cross sectional schematic form in fig2 c - 260 . as can be seen from this fig2 c , the pn junction 260 , generally comprises an n - type swcnt 256 overlying a p - type swcnt 254 which overlies a substrate 252 . the swcnt were doped and deposited from paint or suspensions of charged and polymer - modified swcnts onto kapton - e . a thick layer (˜ 200 nm ) of au was deposited first on a pre - treated kapton - e surface to serve as a cathode . the swcnt 256 were doped by treatment of the nanotube with charge carrying polymers which techniques are generally known in the art . the length / width dimensions of the pn junction layer was substantially the same as the strain sensor layer . finally , the thermochromic display layer 240 was applied via screen - painting technique ( s ) to a thickness of substantially 100 microns . the display layer 240 was applied such that it overlies the heating element layer . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , display inks that exhibit a significant color change upon a predetermined change in temperature are well known . accordingly , for our exemplary coating , the thermal activation temperature — that is the temperature at which the ink exhibits a significant color change — is established to be substantially 40 ° f . at this point it is useful to note that while we have limited our exemplary discussion to a thermochromic visual display , our invention is advantageously not so limited . in particular , active coatings constructed according to our inventive teachings would benefit from alternative visual display technologies , e . g ., electrochromic and / or electroluminescent . as is generally known , electrochromism is characterized by a reversible color change of a material resulting from the application of an electrical current or potential . one problem with electrochromic devices and materials is the delay needed to produce an optical change , on the order of one full second or more . because of this delay , electrochromic applications have been limited . fortunately this electrochromic delay is quite acceptable for certain applications of our inventive active coating system ( s ). similarly , electroluminescent devices and materials glow when an electrical current is passed through their structures . advantageously , both electroluminescent and electrochromic visual displays may be made extremely thin and flexible , thereby providing a useful visual display for our inventive coating system ( s ). fig2 d is a schematic of an electronic control circuit used to evaluate our inventive coating system . advantageously , a comparator circuit along with a reeds relay , was included in the design to provide output threshold adjustment . this enables the setting and control of the operation level for the thermochromic display ink to change color . it may also used , for example , to prevent overloading when an external analog meter is connected / used . in addition , a 10 - pf capacitor was included at an output port to dampen out any random noise and voltage spike . the reeds relay is used so that an external power source could be used to power the thermochromic display ink instead of draining the op - amp power supply . of course , those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative electronic control circuits are useful with our inventive coating system and that such control circuits are well within the ability of those skilled in the art . turning now to fig3 , there is shown an exploded view of our demonstrative coating system 300 that exemplifies a number of aspects of our invention . more specifically , a chromic color display 310 layer , is shown overlying an electric contact layer 320 , overlying a p - n doped switch layer 330 , overlying a flexible electronics layer 340 , overlying a steel beam layer 350 . such a multi - layer coating can , for example , be employed on military or other vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopter ( s ), aircraft , water - borne vessels , as well as stationary structures and almost any other constructed object that may benefit from such active coatings . advantageously , a coating system such as that shown in fig3 , is able to sense a change in the environment ( applied pressure ), analyze the change and alert a user of the anomaly through a color change . significantly , the steel beam layer 250 is similar ( at least in practice ) to beams found in military vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopters . as can be appreciated , the layer of flexible electronics 340 which overlies the steel beam layer 350 comprises one or more strain gages that sense ( s ) deformation of the steel beam layer 350 , an amplified output signal which is directed to p - n - doped switch layer 330 , which drives the display layer 310 to change color . in our exemplary embodiment , the p - n switch layer is quite thin , i . e ., ≦ 10 microns in thickness . additional exemplary embodiments of a multilayer active coating system constructed according to the teachings of the present invention may now be considered . in particular , an embodiment employing a thin - film sensor that detects when the surface or another layer within the coating system becomes scratched or otherwise damaged . the purpose of such sensing is to alert personnel that a particular portion of the coating system has become compromised and needs maintenance or repair . alternatively , or in conjunction with alerting personnel , the system may initiate self - repair . finally , this embodiment may detect a disruption in an electrically conducting layer of the coating system and provide alert ( s ) to appropriate person ( s ). surface defects in an active coating may be detected by application of a thin film of an electrically conducting material and controlling a change in its conductivity . advantageously , a variety of conducting materials — i . e ., metal , carbon - containing composite , or conducting polymer — may be used . the conducting material is positioned at points of interest , where damage to the coating is to be detected . of further advantage , the conducting material may be fabricated into a sensing element in virtually any shape or size , and subsequently applied by a variety of mechanisms , including suitable adhesives . of course , an active coating such as the one described may include one or more layers that prevent and / or inhibit corrosion and chemically self - repair . for example , a corrosion inhibiting / resistive layer containing chromium or other inorganic materials are known to be both corrosion resistive and exhibit a limited self - repair capability . in addition or alternatively , numerous organic polymeric materials would also suffice as corrosion inhibiting and as such would be principal components to such a corrosion inhibiting layer . fig4 depicts a schematic of a network of sensors for the detection of corrosion and / or damage . with reference to that fig4 , a plurality of sensors 410 [ 1 ] . . . 410 [ n ] comprise a sensor element fabricated from a thin layer of conducting compound or conducting composite . this sensing element , which is only 5 - 50 μm thick , may be covered with a nonconducting protective coating as well . in operation , damage to the overall coating system will result in damage to the sensor element , which may be detected by controller 420 as a change in resistance of the sensing element , and subsequently analyzed by analyzer 430 . advantageously , such a sensitive sensing element may be affected by environmental conditions such as temperature , which may also alter its conductivity and response . consequently , with proper characterization , sensor elements such as that shown in fig4 may be used for sensing these environmental conditions as well . such a sensor element may be prepared on a glass or other suitable substrate including flexible polymers such as kapton for easy inclusion into coating systems . for this exemplary sensor however , orgacon films were spincoated on glass slides for substantially 1 minute using a commercially available spincoater . the resulting films were dried and cured on a hotplate . when prepared in this manner , the flexible polymer film thickness is between 1 and 100 microns . as can be appreciated , v - i relationship ( s ) may be conveniently measured and calculated as : r sq = π ln 2 ( v i ) ≈ 4 . 532 ( v i ) y t = 1 δ t ( r t r 0 - 1 ) where δt = t − 25 ° c . is the deviation of the temperature from standard conditions , rt is the resistance at investigated temperature , and rois the resistance at 25 ° c . turning now to fig5 , there is shown two scratch sensing elements ( a ) and ( b ) which depict linear ( a ) and parallel ( b ) sensing geometries , respectively . such element ( s ) may be prepared by painting the circuit ( s ) on a glass surface as shown and then cured . it should be noted that additional / alternative geometries are possible , depending upon the particular application . fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) show the responses of a 14 strip sensing element where each strip was scratched every 30 seconds . the strips shown in fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) were constructed using orgacon el - p3040 and orgacon el - p 4010 . as can be appreciated , the relatively high resistivity of conductive polymers make them particularly useful in the fabrication of sensing elements such as those shown in fig6 ( a ) and 6 ( b )— and especially so in those sensing elements used for scratches or surfaces that are difficult to access . advantageously , sensors constructed from conductive polymers facilitate the integration into multilayer coatings , such as those which are the subject of the instant application . still further , it is understood by those skilled in the art that such sensors are useful in any situation in which a monitored event will produce a change in resistivity in a sensor layer such as that shown and described . consequently , once an event is sensed , appropriate notification and / or repair may occur , as appropriate . at this point , while we have discussed and described my invention using some specific examples , those skilled in the art will recognize that my teachings are not so limited . more specifically , we have described coatings that exhibit a specific number of layers and compositions . it is understood that additional ( or fewer ) layer ( s ) may be provided by such coatings . accordingly , our invention should be only limited by the scope of the claims attached hereto . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Physics'? | Is 'Chemistry; Metallurgy' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 96720e14dde23de5f484525c1d279a09da226d8b3ffeff77291d84dd510877d6 | 0.049561 | 0.007568 | 0.001549 | 0.002975 | 0.094238 | 0.022949 |
null | fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a representative coating system according to the present invention . not specifically shown in this fig1 , is a substrate upon which the coating system is applied ( vehicle , building , etc ). from our discussion of this inventive coating system however , those skilled in the art will readily recognize nearly any material may serve as a substrate , and further appreciate the wide applicability of such systems , in a virtually limitless set of fields . returning now to that fig1 , the particular coating system 100 shown therein comprises a number of layers — each generally providing particular function . and while the particular system 100 shown in this fig1 includes seven ( 7 ) layers , the actual number of layers and the function ( s ) of each , may advantageously vary from application to application . as shown in fig1 , corrosion inhibitor layer 110 , shown at the bottom of this particular system 100 , is adjacent to , and bonds the system 100 to a substrate ( not shown ). such corrosion inhibiting materials are generally well known and may include inorganic conversion materials and / or active polymeric materials as appropriate . of further advantage , certain corrosion inhibiting materials that may comprise this corrosion inhibition layer 110 may advantageously , chemically self - heal . by way of example only , certain chromium complexes on aluminum substrates have the ability to self - heal . shown overlying the corrosion inhibition layer 110 is a power layer 120 , which in this exemplary system , provides power to other layers as required . advantageously , with our inventive system , a power layer 120 such as that depicted , need not merely distribute power to the other layers , it may additionally / alternatively regulate and / or filter power for use by other layers . still further , such layers may be made electrochemically active such that they generate power , in addition to regulating / filtering the power so generated . a sensor / sensing package layer 130 is shown in fig1 overlying the power layer 120 . advantageously , the sensor / sensing package layer 130 may include a plurality of sensors , of similar or dissimilar type . types of sensors included in layer 130 may include , temperature , strain , conductivity , pressure , corrosion , substrate integrity , radiation levels , chemicals , etc . such sensor package layer ( s ) 130 may be provided in flexible arrays , capable of physically conforming to a variety of substrate shapes and surface characteristics . in certain applications there may be more than one sensing layer . in other applications , a sensing layer may be used that comprises one - or - more sensor types located adjacent to each other in the sensing layer . of further advantage , sensor output may be relayed or otherwise transmitted to remote systems or displays for notification and / or action — as appropriate . of course , it is not necessary to transmit sensor data / information to systems “ outside ” of the coating structure 100 . advantageously , data / information processing systems may also reside within the coating structure 100 , in close physical proximity to the sensor layer 130 and its accompanying sensors . such a local data / information processing layer comprises artificial intelligence ( ai )/ network layer 140 shown in this fig1 overlying the sensor layer 130 . such ai layer ( s ) 140 may advantageously receive as input , data which is sensed by sensor layer 130 and process and / or react to that input data as appropriate . one such reaction to input data may include , for example , color or pattern changing to provide camouflage or other color characteristic ( s ). shown in fig1 is a visual display layer 160 , which may advantageously “ react ” to environmental conditions . one such use of this particular visual display layer 160 is to provide the aesthetic / tactical color - change characteristic described previously namely , changing color to camouflage or provide pleasing aesthetics . alternatively , such color change ( s ) may be advantageously used to provide information about the status / condition of the coating system 100 , itself . by way of example , recall that one sensory function of sensor layer 140 may be to sense / monitor the integrity of the coating system itself . accordingly , when a breach , or sufficient change to the coating is detected from corrosion say , the sensor layer 140 may provide data to the ai layer 140 which in turn signals the visual layer 150 to change to a color indicative of the corrosion and / or breach . alternatively and of further advantage , with particular visual layers 160 , it is not necessary to be explicitly signaled from sensory / processing layers to initiate the color change . for example , visual display layers 160 which change color upon physical / chemical contact with air , contaminants , temperature are all useful for our purposes . in this manner , the visual display layer 160 itself changes , without any interaction from other layers within the coating system 100 . by way of further example , a visual display layer 160 that is “ discolored ”, may be indicative of a breach or contact with particular environmental conditions . multi - colored visual displays 160 , may be indicative of multiple instances of contact with diverse environment ( s ). shown overlying the visual display layer 160 , is self - repair layer 170 . as is known to those skilled in the art , self - repair and micro - encapsulation techniques are in their infancy . as can be greatly appreciated by those skilled in the art , self - repair or self - healing layer ( s ) present the possibility for repair , with little or no human intervention . an obvious analogy is that of biological systems that automatically and autonomically initiate self - repair when they sustain damage . the development of autonomous self - repairing or self - healing materials such as those employed in self - repair layer 170 is ongoing . nevertheless , one useful approach to this self - healing layer 170 is through the use of microcapsules containing materials such as monomers than can repair coating damage by polymerizing or through other appropriate chemical or physical means . as may be known by those skilled in the art , microcapsules are small — 50 - 150 micron — containers that contain and release a small quantity of self - repair material , generally in liquid form , when they are broken . these microcapsules may be mixed , for example , in other known commercially - available topcoats ( paints ) or overcoats . should the overcoating become damaged , the microcapsules break open and release coating repair materials . in effect , the coating system 100 becomes self - healing when damaged . finally , our inventive , representative coating system 100 may comprise new , or otherwise novel materials that work in conjunction with the other system layers , to sense , detect , display , and / or repair the coating and / or substrate , before the system is compromised . turning now to fig2 , there is shown a conceptual diagram depicting a representative color - changing coating system constructed according to the present invention . more specifically , the system 200 includes a thin film sensor 210 layer that senses strain in a substrate , an n - type / p - type doped single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction layer 230 , a thermochromic color display layer 240 and a threshold sensing electronic and power supply circuit 220 . not specifically shown in this fig2 is a heating element layer , which heats the thermochromic display layer 240 thereby initiating its color change in response to the heating . for the purposes of this exemplary embodiment , the electronic and power supply circuitry 220 is not a part of the actual coating per - se . in contrast , the sensor layer 210 , the pn junction layer 230 , and the display layer 240 are all part of the coating film applied to the sample substrate . in this exemplary embodiment , the strain sensor layer 210 provides an indirect measure of substrate corrosion by indicating the strain of a substrate as its material performance — and in particular load bearing characteristics — are modified due to changes caused by the corrosion process . for our exemplary purposes , a substrate which underlies the above - mentioned layers was chosen due to its performance characteristics which include the ability to endure up to 1000 cycles of repeated bending without deformation , which is of interest to demonstrate the long - term applicability of our inventive coating system ( s ). in particular , the substrate chosen for this demonstration was 1018 stainless steel having a ⅛ inch thickness and 4 inch width . the strain sensor layer 210 is a flexible layer and employs a wheatstone bridge design which is the subject of united states patent application no . 2004 / 0255682 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . a consideration for choosing such a bridge design is that it is relatively independent of environmental thermal effects . given the characteristics of the strain to be measured , strain sensor ( s ) having dimensions of substantially 1 . 7 cm × 1 . 7 cm were employed . a number of which were bonded to the steel substrate using a commercially available , epoxy based adhesive . advantageously , the particular adhesive exhibited sufficient after - cure flexibility , while being non - electrically conductive . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , any of a number of such adhesives may be used , and their selection is a matter of design choice . the display layer 240 comprising thermochromic paint was employed to provide visual indication of the measured strain of the steel substrate . while a variety of color changing schemes are possible , the particular one chosen for our exemplary system turns from blue to yellow in color when heated . since this particular thermochromic paint changes color upon heating , a heating layer in contact with the sensor layer and the thermochromic layer was employed . in particular , upon a signal from the strain sensor layer , heating is activated within a heating element , generally depicted in fig2 b . as employed , the heating element 250 comprises a number of printed , silver - ink bus bars 252 , deposed in a field of silver ink film 254 . as can be appreciated , several types of commercially available silver paste / ink ( e . g ., pelco ® collodial silver paste , pelco ® conductive silver 187 and fast drying silver paint ) and caig ( circuitwriter ) were evaluated . the heating layer and element ( s ) had to dissipate uniform heat in order to effect the thermochromic ink ( 40 ° f .) color change within 3 seconds . fast drying silver paint provided satisfactory functionality , namely remain flexible , low resistance and fast drying . the silver ink was then sprayed thinly on kapton (˜ 100 micron thick ). generally , the resistance measured across the heating element is greater than 5 . 0 ohm to ensure color change in the desired interval . a single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction coating ( fig2 - 230 ) is shown in cross sectional schematic form in fig2 c - 260 . as can be seen from this fig2 c , the pn junction 260 , generally comprises an n - type swcnt 256 overlying a p - type swcnt 254 which overlies a substrate 252 . the swcnt were doped and deposited from paint or suspensions of charged and polymer - modified swcnts onto kapton - e . a thick layer (˜ 200 nm ) of au was deposited first on a pre - treated kapton - e surface to serve as a cathode . the swcnt 256 were doped by treatment of the nanotube with charge carrying polymers which techniques are generally known in the art . the length / width dimensions of the pn junction layer was substantially the same as the strain sensor layer . finally , the thermochromic display layer 240 was applied via screen - painting technique ( s ) to a thickness of substantially 100 microns . the display layer 240 was applied such that it overlies the heating element layer . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , display inks that exhibit a significant color change upon a predetermined change in temperature are well known . accordingly , for our exemplary coating , the thermal activation temperature — that is the temperature at which the ink exhibits a significant color change — is established to be substantially 40 ° f . at this point it is useful to note that while we have limited our exemplary discussion to a thermochromic visual display , our invention is advantageously not so limited . in particular , active coatings constructed according to our inventive teachings would benefit from alternative visual display technologies , e . g ., electrochromic and / or electroluminescent . as is generally known , electrochromism is characterized by a reversible color change of a material resulting from the application of an electrical current or potential . one problem with electrochromic devices and materials is the delay needed to produce an optical change , on the order of one full second or more . because of this delay , electrochromic applications have been limited . fortunately this electrochromic delay is quite acceptable for certain applications of our inventive active coating system ( s ). similarly , electroluminescent devices and materials glow when an electrical current is passed through their structures . advantageously , both electroluminescent and electrochromic visual displays may be made extremely thin and flexible , thereby providing a useful visual display for our inventive coating system ( s ). fig2 d is a schematic of an electronic control circuit used to evaluate our inventive coating system . advantageously , a comparator circuit along with a reeds relay , was included in the design to provide output threshold adjustment . this enables the setting and control of the operation level for the thermochromic display ink to change color . it may also used , for example , to prevent overloading when an external analog meter is connected / used . in addition , a 10 - pf capacitor was included at an output port to dampen out any random noise and voltage spike . the reeds relay is used so that an external power source could be used to power the thermochromic display ink instead of draining the op - amp power supply . of course , those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative electronic control circuits are useful with our inventive coating system and that such control circuits are well within the ability of those skilled in the art . turning now to fig3 , there is shown an exploded view of our demonstrative coating system 300 that exemplifies a number of aspects of our invention . more specifically , a chromic color display 310 layer , is shown overlying an electric contact layer 320 , overlying a p - n doped switch layer 330 , overlying a flexible electronics layer 340 , overlying a steel beam layer 350 . such a multi - layer coating can , for example , be employed on military or other vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopter ( s ), aircraft , water - borne vessels , as well as stationary structures and almost any other constructed object that may benefit from such active coatings . advantageously , a coating system such as that shown in fig3 , is able to sense a change in the environment ( applied pressure ), analyze the change and alert a user of the anomaly through a color change . significantly , the steel beam layer 250 is similar ( at least in practice ) to beams found in military vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopters . as can be appreciated , the layer of flexible electronics 340 which overlies the steel beam layer 350 comprises one or more strain gages that sense ( s ) deformation of the steel beam layer 350 , an amplified output signal which is directed to p - n - doped switch layer 330 , which drives the display layer 310 to change color . in our exemplary embodiment , the p - n switch layer is quite thin , i . e ., ≦ 10 microns in thickness . additional exemplary embodiments of a multilayer active coating system constructed according to the teachings of the present invention may now be considered . in particular , an embodiment employing a thin - film sensor that detects when the surface or another layer within the coating system becomes scratched or otherwise damaged . the purpose of such sensing is to alert personnel that a particular portion of the coating system has become compromised and needs maintenance or repair . alternatively , or in conjunction with alerting personnel , the system may initiate self - repair . finally , this embodiment may detect a disruption in an electrically conducting layer of the coating system and provide alert ( s ) to appropriate person ( s ). surface defects in an active coating may be detected by application of a thin film of an electrically conducting material and controlling a change in its conductivity . advantageously , a variety of conducting materials — i . e ., metal , carbon - containing composite , or conducting polymer — may be used . the conducting material is positioned at points of interest , where damage to the coating is to be detected . of further advantage , the conducting material may be fabricated into a sensing element in virtually any shape or size , and subsequently applied by a variety of mechanisms , including suitable adhesives . of course , an active coating such as the one described may include one or more layers that prevent and / or inhibit corrosion and chemically self - repair . for example , a corrosion inhibiting / resistive layer containing chromium or other inorganic materials are known to be both corrosion resistive and exhibit a limited self - repair capability . in addition or alternatively , numerous organic polymeric materials would also suffice as corrosion inhibiting and as such would be principal components to such a corrosion inhibiting layer . fig4 depicts a schematic of a network of sensors for the detection of corrosion and / or damage . with reference to that fig4 , a plurality of sensors 410 [ 1 ] . . . 410 [ n ] comprise a sensor element fabricated from a thin layer of conducting compound or conducting composite . this sensing element , which is only 5 - 50 μm thick , may be covered with a nonconducting protective coating as well . in operation , damage to the overall coating system will result in damage to the sensor element , which may be detected by controller 420 as a change in resistance of the sensing element , and subsequently analyzed by analyzer 430 . advantageously , such a sensitive sensing element may be affected by environmental conditions such as temperature , which may also alter its conductivity and response . consequently , with proper characterization , sensor elements such as that shown in fig4 may be used for sensing these environmental conditions as well . such a sensor element may be prepared on a glass or other suitable substrate including flexible polymers such as kapton for easy inclusion into coating systems . for this exemplary sensor however , orgacon films were spincoated on glass slides for substantially 1 minute using a commercially available spincoater . the resulting films were dried and cured on a hotplate . when prepared in this manner , the flexible polymer film thickness is between 1 and 100 microns . as can be appreciated , v - i relationship ( s ) may be conveniently measured and calculated as : r sq = π ln 2 ( v i ) ≈ 4 . 532 ( v i ) y t = 1 δ t ( r t r 0 - 1 ) where δt = t − 25 ° c . is the deviation of the temperature from standard conditions , rt is the resistance at investigated temperature , and rois the resistance at 25 ° c . turning now to fig5 , there is shown two scratch sensing elements ( a ) and ( b ) which depict linear ( a ) and parallel ( b ) sensing geometries , respectively . such element ( s ) may be prepared by painting the circuit ( s ) on a glass surface as shown and then cured . it should be noted that additional / alternative geometries are possible , depending upon the particular application . fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) show the responses of a 14 strip sensing element where each strip was scratched every 30 seconds . the strips shown in fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) were constructed using orgacon el - p3040 and orgacon el - p 4010 . as can be appreciated , the relatively high resistivity of conductive polymers make them particularly useful in the fabrication of sensing elements such as those shown in fig6 ( a ) and 6 ( b )— and especially so in those sensing elements used for scratches or surfaces that are difficult to access . advantageously , sensors constructed from conductive polymers facilitate the integration into multilayer coatings , such as those which are the subject of the instant application . still further , it is understood by those skilled in the art that such sensors are useful in any situation in which a monitored event will produce a change in resistivity in a sensor layer such as that shown and described . consequently , once an event is sensed , appropriate notification and / or repair may occur , as appropriate . at this point , while we have discussed and described my invention using some specific examples , those skilled in the art will recognize that my teachings are not so limited . more specifically , we have described coatings that exhibit a specific number of layers and compositions . it is understood that additional ( or fewer ) layer ( s ) may be provided by such coatings . accordingly , our invention should be only limited by the scope of the claims attached hereto . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | 96720e14dde23de5f484525c1d279a09da226d8b3ffeff77291d84dd510877d6 | 0.051025 | 0.005219 | 0.005219 | 0.000033 | 0.061768 | 0.017944 |
null | fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a representative coating system according to the present invention . not specifically shown in this fig1 , is a substrate upon which the coating system is applied ( vehicle , building , etc ). from our discussion of this inventive coating system however , those skilled in the art will readily recognize nearly any material may serve as a substrate , and further appreciate the wide applicability of such systems , in a virtually limitless set of fields . returning now to that fig1 , the particular coating system 100 shown therein comprises a number of layers — each generally providing particular function . and while the particular system 100 shown in this fig1 includes seven ( 7 ) layers , the actual number of layers and the function ( s ) of each , may advantageously vary from application to application . as shown in fig1 , corrosion inhibitor layer 110 , shown at the bottom of this particular system 100 , is adjacent to , and bonds the system 100 to a substrate ( not shown ). such corrosion inhibiting materials are generally well known and may include inorganic conversion materials and / or active polymeric materials as appropriate . of further advantage , certain corrosion inhibiting materials that may comprise this corrosion inhibition layer 110 may advantageously , chemically self - heal . by way of example only , certain chromium complexes on aluminum substrates have the ability to self - heal . shown overlying the corrosion inhibition layer 110 is a power layer 120 , which in this exemplary system , provides power to other layers as required . advantageously , with our inventive system , a power layer 120 such as that depicted , need not merely distribute power to the other layers , it may additionally / alternatively regulate and / or filter power for use by other layers . still further , such layers may be made electrochemically active such that they generate power , in addition to regulating / filtering the power so generated . a sensor / sensing package layer 130 is shown in fig1 overlying the power layer 120 . advantageously , the sensor / sensing package layer 130 may include a plurality of sensors , of similar or dissimilar type . types of sensors included in layer 130 may include , temperature , strain , conductivity , pressure , corrosion , substrate integrity , radiation levels , chemicals , etc . such sensor package layer ( s ) 130 may be provided in flexible arrays , capable of physically conforming to a variety of substrate shapes and surface characteristics . in certain applications there may be more than one sensing layer . in other applications , a sensing layer may be used that comprises one - or - more sensor types located adjacent to each other in the sensing layer . of further advantage , sensor output may be relayed or otherwise transmitted to remote systems or displays for notification and / or action — as appropriate . of course , it is not necessary to transmit sensor data / information to systems “ outside ” of the coating structure 100 . advantageously , data / information processing systems may also reside within the coating structure 100 , in close physical proximity to the sensor layer 130 and its accompanying sensors . such a local data / information processing layer comprises artificial intelligence ( ai )/ network layer 140 shown in this fig1 overlying the sensor layer 130 . such ai layer ( s ) 140 may advantageously receive as input , data which is sensed by sensor layer 130 and process and / or react to that input data as appropriate . one such reaction to input data may include , for example , color or pattern changing to provide camouflage or other color characteristic ( s ). shown in fig1 is a visual display layer 160 , which may advantageously “ react ” to environmental conditions . one such use of this particular visual display layer 160 is to provide the aesthetic / tactical color - change characteristic described previously namely , changing color to camouflage or provide pleasing aesthetics . alternatively , such color change ( s ) may be advantageously used to provide information about the status / condition of the coating system 100 , itself . by way of example , recall that one sensory function of sensor layer 140 may be to sense / monitor the integrity of the coating system itself . accordingly , when a breach , or sufficient change to the coating is detected from corrosion say , the sensor layer 140 may provide data to the ai layer 140 which in turn signals the visual layer 150 to change to a color indicative of the corrosion and / or breach . alternatively and of further advantage , with particular visual layers 160 , it is not necessary to be explicitly signaled from sensory / processing layers to initiate the color change . for example , visual display layers 160 which change color upon physical / chemical contact with air , contaminants , temperature are all useful for our purposes . in this manner , the visual display layer 160 itself changes , without any interaction from other layers within the coating system 100 . by way of further example , a visual display layer 160 that is “ discolored ”, may be indicative of a breach or contact with particular environmental conditions . multi - colored visual displays 160 , may be indicative of multiple instances of contact with diverse environment ( s ). shown overlying the visual display layer 160 , is self - repair layer 170 . as is known to those skilled in the art , self - repair and micro - encapsulation techniques are in their infancy . as can be greatly appreciated by those skilled in the art , self - repair or self - healing layer ( s ) present the possibility for repair , with little or no human intervention . an obvious analogy is that of biological systems that automatically and autonomically initiate self - repair when they sustain damage . the development of autonomous self - repairing or self - healing materials such as those employed in self - repair layer 170 is ongoing . nevertheless , one useful approach to this self - healing layer 170 is through the use of microcapsules containing materials such as monomers than can repair coating damage by polymerizing or through other appropriate chemical or physical means . as may be known by those skilled in the art , microcapsules are small — 50 - 150 micron — containers that contain and release a small quantity of self - repair material , generally in liquid form , when they are broken . these microcapsules may be mixed , for example , in other known commercially - available topcoats ( paints ) or overcoats . should the overcoating become damaged , the microcapsules break open and release coating repair materials . in effect , the coating system 100 becomes self - healing when damaged . finally , our inventive , representative coating system 100 may comprise new , or otherwise novel materials that work in conjunction with the other system layers , to sense , detect , display , and / or repair the coating and / or substrate , before the system is compromised . turning now to fig2 , there is shown a conceptual diagram depicting a representative color - changing coating system constructed according to the present invention . more specifically , the system 200 includes a thin film sensor 210 layer that senses strain in a substrate , an n - type / p - type doped single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction layer 230 , a thermochromic color display layer 240 and a threshold sensing electronic and power supply circuit 220 . not specifically shown in this fig2 is a heating element layer , which heats the thermochromic display layer 240 thereby initiating its color change in response to the heating . for the purposes of this exemplary embodiment , the electronic and power supply circuitry 220 is not a part of the actual coating per - se . in contrast , the sensor layer 210 , the pn junction layer 230 , and the display layer 240 are all part of the coating film applied to the sample substrate . in this exemplary embodiment , the strain sensor layer 210 provides an indirect measure of substrate corrosion by indicating the strain of a substrate as its material performance — and in particular load bearing characteristics — are modified due to changes caused by the corrosion process . for our exemplary purposes , a substrate which underlies the above - mentioned layers was chosen due to its performance characteristics which include the ability to endure up to 1000 cycles of repeated bending without deformation , which is of interest to demonstrate the long - term applicability of our inventive coating system ( s ). in particular , the substrate chosen for this demonstration was 1018 stainless steel having a ⅛ inch thickness and 4 inch width . the strain sensor layer 210 is a flexible layer and employs a wheatstone bridge design which is the subject of united states patent application no . 2004 / 0255682 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . a consideration for choosing such a bridge design is that it is relatively independent of environmental thermal effects . given the characteristics of the strain to be measured , strain sensor ( s ) having dimensions of substantially 1 . 7 cm × 1 . 7 cm were employed . a number of which were bonded to the steel substrate using a commercially available , epoxy based adhesive . advantageously , the particular adhesive exhibited sufficient after - cure flexibility , while being non - electrically conductive . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , any of a number of such adhesives may be used , and their selection is a matter of design choice . the display layer 240 comprising thermochromic paint was employed to provide visual indication of the measured strain of the steel substrate . while a variety of color changing schemes are possible , the particular one chosen for our exemplary system turns from blue to yellow in color when heated . since this particular thermochromic paint changes color upon heating , a heating layer in contact with the sensor layer and the thermochromic layer was employed . in particular , upon a signal from the strain sensor layer , heating is activated within a heating element , generally depicted in fig2 b . as employed , the heating element 250 comprises a number of printed , silver - ink bus bars 252 , deposed in a field of silver ink film 254 . as can be appreciated , several types of commercially available silver paste / ink ( e . g ., pelco ® collodial silver paste , pelco ® conductive silver 187 and fast drying silver paint ) and caig ( circuitwriter ) were evaluated . the heating layer and element ( s ) had to dissipate uniform heat in order to effect the thermochromic ink ( 40 ° f .) color change within 3 seconds . fast drying silver paint provided satisfactory functionality , namely remain flexible , low resistance and fast drying . the silver ink was then sprayed thinly on kapton (˜ 100 micron thick ). generally , the resistance measured across the heating element is greater than 5 . 0 ohm to ensure color change in the desired interval . a single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction coating ( fig2 - 230 ) is shown in cross sectional schematic form in fig2 c - 260 . as can be seen from this fig2 c , the pn junction 260 , generally comprises an n - type swcnt 256 overlying a p - type swcnt 254 which overlies a substrate 252 . the swcnt were doped and deposited from paint or suspensions of charged and polymer - modified swcnts onto kapton - e . a thick layer (˜ 200 nm ) of au was deposited first on a pre - treated kapton - e surface to serve as a cathode . the swcnt 256 were doped by treatment of the nanotube with charge carrying polymers which techniques are generally known in the art . the length / width dimensions of the pn junction layer was substantially the same as the strain sensor layer . finally , the thermochromic display layer 240 was applied via screen - painting technique ( s ) to a thickness of substantially 100 microns . the display layer 240 was applied such that it overlies the heating element layer . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , display inks that exhibit a significant color change upon a predetermined change in temperature are well known . accordingly , for our exemplary coating , the thermal activation temperature — that is the temperature at which the ink exhibits a significant color change — is established to be substantially 40 ° f . at this point it is useful to note that while we have limited our exemplary discussion to a thermochromic visual display , our invention is advantageously not so limited . in particular , active coatings constructed according to our inventive teachings would benefit from alternative visual display technologies , e . g ., electrochromic and / or electroluminescent . as is generally known , electrochromism is characterized by a reversible color change of a material resulting from the application of an electrical current or potential . one problem with electrochromic devices and materials is the delay needed to produce an optical change , on the order of one full second or more . because of this delay , electrochromic applications have been limited . fortunately this electrochromic delay is quite acceptable for certain applications of our inventive active coating system ( s ). similarly , electroluminescent devices and materials glow when an electrical current is passed through their structures . advantageously , both electroluminescent and electrochromic visual displays may be made extremely thin and flexible , thereby providing a useful visual display for our inventive coating system ( s ). fig2 d is a schematic of an electronic control circuit used to evaluate our inventive coating system . advantageously , a comparator circuit along with a reeds relay , was included in the design to provide output threshold adjustment . this enables the setting and control of the operation level for the thermochromic display ink to change color . it may also used , for example , to prevent overloading when an external analog meter is connected / used . in addition , a 10 - pf capacitor was included at an output port to dampen out any random noise and voltage spike . the reeds relay is used so that an external power source could be used to power the thermochromic display ink instead of draining the op - amp power supply . of course , those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative electronic control circuits are useful with our inventive coating system and that such control circuits are well within the ability of those skilled in the art . turning now to fig3 , there is shown an exploded view of our demonstrative coating system 300 that exemplifies a number of aspects of our invention . more specifically , a chromic color display 310 layer , is shown overlying an electric contact layer 320 , overlying a p - n doped switch layer 330 , overlying a flexible electronics layer 340 , overlying a steel beam layer 350 . such a multi - layer coating can , for example , be employed on military or other vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopter ( s ), aircraft , water - borne vessels , as well as stationary structures and almost any other constructed object that may benefit from such active coatings . advantageously , a coating system such as that shown in fig3 , is able to sense a change in the environment ( applied pressure ), analyze the change and alert a user of the anomaly through a color change . significantly , the steel beam layer 250 is similar ( at least in practice ) to beams found in military vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopters . as can be appreciated , the layer of flexible electronics 340 which overlies the steel beam layer 350 comprises one or more strain gages that sense ( s ) deformation of the steel beam layer 350 , an amplified output signal which is directed to p - n - doped switch layer 330 , which drives the display layer 310 to change color . in our exemplary embodiment , the p - n switch layer is quite thin , i . e ., ≦ 10 microns in thickness . additional exemplary embodiments of a multilayer active coating system constructed according to the teachings of the present invention may now be considered . in particular , an embodiment employing a thin - film sensor that detects when the surface or another layer within the coating system becomes scratched or otherwise damaged . the purpose of such sensing is to alert personnel that a particular portion of the coating system has become compromised and needs maintenance or repair . alternatively , or in conjunction with alerting personnel , the system may initiate self - repair . finally , this embodiment may detect a disruption in an electrically conducting layer of the coating system and provide alert ( s ) to appropriate person ( s ). surface defects in an active coating may be detected by application of a thin film of an electrically conducting material and controlling a change in its conductivity . advantageously , a variety of conducting materials — i . e ., metal , carbon - containing composite , or conducting polymer — may be used . the conducting material is positioned at points of interest , where damage to the coating is to be detected . of further advantage , the conducting material may be fabricated into a sensing element in virtually any shape or size , and subsequently applied by a variety of mechanisms , including suitable adhesives . of course , an active coating such as the one described may include one or more layers that prevent and / or inhibit corrosion and chemically self - repair . for example , a corrosion inhibiting / resistive layer containing chromium or other inorganic materials are known to be both corrosion resistive and exhibit a limited self - repair capability . in addition or alternatively , numerous organic polymeric materials would also suffice as corrosion inhibiting and as such would be principal components to such a corrosion inhibiting layer . fig4 depicts a schematic of a network of sensors for the detection of corrosion and / or damage . with reference to that fig4 , a plurality of sensors 410 [ 1 ] . . . 410 [ n ] comprise a sensor element fabricated from a thin layer of conducting compound or conducting composite . this sensing element , which is only 5 - 50 μm thick , may be covered with a nonconducting protective coating as well . in operation , damage to the overall coating system will result in damage to the sensor element , which may be detected by controller 420 as a change in resistance of the sensing element , and subsequently analyzed by analyzer 430 . advantageously , such a sensitive sensing element may be affected by environmental conditions such as temperature , which may also alter its conductivity and response . consequently , with proper characterization , sensor elements such as that shown in fig4 may be used for sensing these environmental conditions as well . such a sensor element may be prepared on a glass or other suitable substrate including flexible polymers such as kapton for easy inclusion into coating systems . for this exemplary sensor however , orgacon films were spincoated on glass slides for substantially 1 minute using a commercially available spincoater . the resulting films were dried and cured on a hotplate . when prepared in this manner , the flexible polymer film thickness is between 1 and 100 microns . as can be appreciated , v - i relationship ( s ) may be conveniently measured and calculated as : r sq = π ln 2 ( v i ) ≈ 4 . 532 ( v i ) y t = 1 δ t ( r t r 0 - 1 ) where δt = t − 25 ° c . is the deviation of the temperature from standard conditions , rt is the resistance at investigated temperature , and rois the resistance at 25 ° c . turning now to fig5 , there is shown two scratch sensing elements ( a ) and ( b ) which depict linear ( a ) and parallel ( b ) sensing geometries , respectively . such element ( s ) may be prepared by painting the circuit ( s ) on a glass surface as shown and then cured . it should be noted that additional / alternative geometries are possible , depending upon the particular application . fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) show the responses of a 14 strip sensing element where each strip was scratched every 30 seconds . the strips shown in fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) were constructed using orgacon el - p3040 and orgacon el - p 4010 . as can be appreciated , the relatively high resistivity of conductive polymers make them particularly useful in the fabrication of sensing elements such as those shown in fig6 ( a ) and 6 ( b )— and especially so in those sensing elements used for scratches or surfaces that are difficult to access . advantageously , sensors constructed from conductive polymers facilitate the integration into multilayer coatings , such as those which are the subject of the instant application . still further , it is understood by those skilled in the art that such sensors are useful in any situation in which a monitored event will produce a change in resistivity in a sensor layer such as that shown and described . consequently , once an event is sensed , appropriate notification and / or repair may occur , as appropriate . at this point , while we have discussed and described my invention using some specific examples , those skilled in the art will recognize that my teachings are not so limited . more specifically , we have described coatings that exhibit a specific number of layers and compositions . it is understood that additional ( or fewer ) layer ( s ) may be provided by such coatings . accordingly , our invention should be only limited by the scope of the claims attached hereto . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | 96720e14dde23de5f484525c1d279a09da226d8b3ffeff77291d84dd510877d6 | 0.051025 | 0.014526 | 0.005219 | 0.004761 | 0.061768 | 0.074707 |
null | fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a representative coating system according to the present invention . not specifically shown in this fig1 , is a substrate upon which the coating system is applied ( vehicle , building , etc ). from our discussion of this inventive coating system however , those skilled in the art will readily recognize nearly any material may serve as a substrate , and further appreciate the wide applicability of such systems , in a virtually limitless set of fields . returning now to that fig1 , the particular coating system 100 shown therein comprises a number of layers — each generally providing particular function . and while the particular system 100 shown in this fig1 includes seven ( 7 ) layers , the actual number of layers and the function ( s ) of each , may advantageously vary from application to application . as shown in fig1 , corrosion inhibitor layer 110 , shown at the bottom of this particular system 100 , is adjacent to , and bonds the system 100 to a substrate ( not shown ). such corrosion inhibiting materials are generally well known and may include inorganic conversion materials and / or active polymeric materials as appropriate . of further advantage , certain corrosion inhibiting materials that may comprise this corrosion inhibition layer 110 may advantageously , chemically self - heal . by way of example only , certain chromium complexes on aluminum substrates have the ability to self - heal . shown overlying the corrosion inhibition layer 110 is a power layer 120 , which in this exemplary system , provides power to other layers as required . advantageously , with our inventive system , a power layer 120 such as that depicted , need not merely distribute power to the other layers , it may additionally / alternatively regulate and / or filter power for use by other layers . still further , such layers may be made electrochemically active such that they generate power , in addition to regulating / filtering the power so generated . a sensor / sensing package layer 130 is shown in fig1 overlying the power layer 120 . advantageously , the sensor / sensing package layer 130 may include a plurality of sensors , of similar or dissimilar type . types of sensors included in layer 130 may include , temperature , strain , conductivity , pressure , corrosion , substrate integrity , radiation levels , chemicals , etc . such sensor package layer ( s ) 130 may be provided in flexible arrays , capable of physically conforming to a variety of substrate shapes and surface characteristics . in certain applications there may be more than one sensing layer . in other applications , a sensing layer may be used that comprises one - or - more sensor types located adjacent to each other in the sensing layer . of further advantage , sensor output may be relayed or otherwise transmitted to remote systems or displays for notification and / or action — as appropriate . of course , it is not necessary to transmit sensor data / information to systems “ outside ” of the coating structure 100 . advantageously , data / information processing systems may also reside within the coating structure 100 , in close physical proximity to the sensor layer 130 and its accompanying sensors . such a local data / information processing layer comprises artificial intelligence ( ai )/ network layer 140 shown in this fig1 overlying the sensor layer 130 . such ai layer ( s ) 140 may advantageously receive as input , data which is sensed by sensor layer 130 and process and / or react to that input data as appropriate . one such reaction to input data may include , for example , color or pattern changing to provide camouflage or other color characteristic ( s ). shown in fig1 is a visual display layer 160 , which may advantageously “ react ” to environmental conditions . one such use of this particular visual display layer 160 is to provide the aesthetic / tactical color - change characteristic described previously namely , changing color to camouflage or provide pleasing aesthetics . alternatively , such color change ( s ) may be advantageously used to provide information about the status / condition of the coating system 100 , itself . by way of example , recall that one sensory function of sensor layer 140 may be to sense / monitor the integrity of the coating system itself . accordingly , when a breach , or sufficient change to the coating is detected from corrosion say , the sensor layer 140 may provide data to the ai layer 140 which in turn signals the visual layer 150 to change to a color indicative of the corrosion and / or breach . alternatively and of further advantage , with particular visual layers 160 , it is not necessary to be explicitly signaled from sensory / processing layers to initiate the color change . for example , visual display layers 160 which change color upon physical / chemical contact with air , contaminants , temperature are all useful for our purposes . in this manner , the visual display layer 160 itself changes , without any interaction from other layers within the coating system 100 . by way of further example , a visual display layer 160 that is “ discolored ”, may be indicative of a breach or contact with particular environmental conditions . multi - colored visual displays 160 , may be indicative of multiple instances of contact with diverse environment ( s ). shown overlying the visual display layer 160 , is self - repair layer 170 . as is known to those skilled in the art , self - repair and micro - encapsulation techniques are in their infancy . as can be greatly appreciated by those skilled in the art , self - repair or self - healing layer ( s ) present the possibility for repair , with little or no human intervention . an obvious analogy is that of biological systems that automatically and autonomically initiate self - repair when they sustain damage . the development of autonomous self - repairing or self - healing materials such as those employed in self - repair layer 170 is ongoing . nevertheless , one useful approach to this self - healing layer 170 is through the use of microcapsules containing materials such as monomers than can repair coating damage by polymerizing or through other appropriate chemical or physical means . as may be known by those skilled in the art , microcapsules are small — 50 - 150 micron — containers that contain and release a small quantity of self - repair material , generally in liquid form , when they are broken . these microcapsules may be mixed , for example , in other known commercially - available topcoats ( paints ) or overcoats . should the overcoating become damaged , the microcapsules break open and release coating repair materials . in effect , the coating system 100 becomes self - healing when damaged . finally , our inventive , representative coating system 100 may comprise new , or otherwise novel materials that work in conjunction with the other system layers , to sense , detect , display , and / or repair the coating and / or substrate , before the system is compromised . turning now to fig2 , there is shown a conceptual diagram depicting a representative color - changing coating system constructed according to the present invention . more specifically , the system 200 includes a thin film sensor 210 layer that senses strain in a substrate , an n - type / p - type doped single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction layer 230 , a thermochromic color display layer 240 and a threshold sensing electronic and power supply circuit 220 . not specifically shown in this fig2 is a heating element layer , which heats the thermochromic display layer 240 thereby initiating its color change in response to the heating . for the purposes of this exemplary embodiment , the electronic and power supply circuitry 220 is not a part of the actual coating per - se . in contrast , the sensor layer 210 , the pn junction layer 230 , and the display layer 240 are all part of the coating film applied to the sample substrate . in this exemplary embodiment , the strain sensor layer 210 provides an indirect measure of substrate corrosion by indicating the strain of a substrate as its material performance — and in particular load bearing characteristics — are modified due to changes caused by the corrosion process . for our exemplary purposes , a substrate which underlies the above - mentioned layers was chosen due to its performance characteristics which include the ability to endure up to 1000 cycles of repeated bending without deformation , which is of interest to demonstrate the long - term applicability of our inventive coating system ( s ). in particular , the substrate chosen for this demonstration was 1018 stainless steel having a ⅛ inch thickness and 4 inch width . the strain sensor layer 210 is a flexible layer and employs a wheatstone bridge design which is the subject of united states patent application no . 2004 / 0255682 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . a consideration for choosing such a bridge design is that it is relatively independent of environmental thermal effects . given the characteristics of the strain to be measured , strain sensor ( s ) having dimensions of substantially 1 . 7 cm × 1 . 7 cm were employed . a number of which were bonded to the steel substrate using a commercially available , epoxy based adhesive . advantageously , the particular adhesive exhibited sufficient after - cure flexibility , while being non - electrically conductive . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , any of a number of such adhesives may be used , and their selection is a matter of design choice . the display layer 240 comprising thermochromic paint was employed to provide visual indication of the measured strain of the steel substrate . while a variety of color changing schemes are possible , the particular one chosen for our exemplary system turns from blue to yellow in color when heated . since this particular thermochromic paint changes color upon heating , a heating layer in contact with the sensor layer and the thermochromic layer was employed . in particular , upon a signal from the strain sensor layer , heating is activated within a heating element , generally depicted in fig2 b . as employed , the heating element 250 comprises a number of printed , silver - ink bus bars 252 , deposed in a field of silver ink film 254 . as can be appreciated , several types of commercially available silver paste / ink ( e . g ., pelco ® collodial silver paste , pelco ® conductive silver 187 and fast drying silver paint ) and caig ( circuitwriter ) were evaluated . the heating layer and element ( s ) had to dissipate uniform heat in order to effect the thermochromic ink ( 40 ° f .) color change within 3 seconds . fast drying silver paint provided satisfactory functionality , namely remain flexible , low resistance and fast drying . the silver ink was then sprayed thinly on kapton (˜ 100 micron thick ). generally , the resistance measured across the heating element is greater than 5 . 0 ohm to ensure color change in the desired interval . a single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction coating ( fig2 - 230 ) is shown in cross sectional schematic form in fig2 c - 260 . as can be seen from this fig2 c , the pn junction 260 , generally comprises an n - type swcnt 256 overlying a p - type swcnt 254 which overlies a substrate 252 . the swcnt were doped and deposited from paint or suspensions of charged and polymer - modified swcnts onto kapton - e . a thick layer (˜ 200 nm ) of au was deposited first on a pre - treated kapton - e surface to serve as a cathode . the swcnt 256 were doped by treatment of the nanotube with charge carrying polymers which techniques are generally known in the art . the length / width dimensions of the pn junction layer was substantially the same as the strain sensor layer . finally , the thermochromic display layer 240 was applied via screen - painting technique ( s ) to a thickness of substantially 100 microns . the display layer 240 was applied such that it overlies the heating element layer . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , display inks that exhibit a significant color change upon a predetermined change in temperature are well known . accordingly , for our exemplary coating , the thermal activation temperature — that is the temperature at which the ink exhibits a significant color change — is established to be substantially 40 ° f . at this point it is useful to note that while we have limited our exemplary discussion to a thermochromic visual display , our invention is advantageously not so limited . in particular , active coatings constructed according to our inventive teachings would benefit from alternative visual display technologies , e . g ., electrochromic and / or electroluminescent . as is generally known , electrochromism is characterized by a reversible color change of a material resulting from the application of an electrical current or potential . one problem with electrochromic devices and materials is the delay needed to produce an optical change , on the order of one full second or more . because of this delay , electrochromic applications have been limited . fortunately this electrochromic delay is quite acceptable for certain applications of our inventive active coating system ( s ). similarly , electroluminescent devices and materials glow when an electrical current is passed through their structures . advantageously , both electroluminescent and electrochromic visual displays may be made extremely thin and flexible , thereby providing a useful visual display for our inventive coating system ( s ). fig2 d is a schematic of an electronic control circuit used to evaluate our inventive coating system . advantageously , a comparator circuit along with a reeds relay , was included in the design to provide output threshold adjustment . this enables the setting and control of the operation level for the thermochromic display ink to change color . it may also used , for example , to prevent overloading when an external analog meter is connected / used . in addition , a 10 - pf capacitor was included at an output port to dampen out any random noise and voltage spike . the reeds relay is used so that an external power source could be used to power the thermochromic display ink instead of draining the op - amp power supply . of course , those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative electronic control circuits are useful with our inventive coating system and that such control circuits are well within the ability of those skilled in the art . turning now to fig3 , there is shown an exploded view of our demonstrative coating system 300 that exemplifies a number of aspects of our invention . more specifically , a chromic color display 310 layer , is shown overlying an electric contact layer 320 , overlying a p - n doped switch layer 330 , overlying a flexible electronics layer 340 , overlying a steel beam layer 350 . such a multi - layer coating can , for example , be employed on military or other vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopter ( s ), aircraft , water - borne vessels , as well as stationary structures and almost any other constructed object that may benefit from such active coatings . advantageously , a coating system such as that shown in fig3 , is able to sense a change in the environment ( applied pressure ), analyze the change and alert a user of the anomaly through a color change . significantly , the steel beam layer 250 is similar ( at least in practice ) to beams found in military vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopters . as can be appreciated , the layer of flexible electronics 340 which overlies the steel beam layer 350 comprises one or more strain gages that sense ( s ) deformation of the steel beam layer 350 , an amplified output signal which is directed to p - n - doped switch layer 330 , which drives the display layer 310 to change color . in our exemplary embodiment , the p - n switch layer is quite thin , i . e ., ≦ 10 microns in thickness . additional exemplary embodiments of a multilayer active coating system constructed according to the teachings of the present invention may now be considered . in particular , an embodiment employing a thin - film sensor that detects when the surface or another layer within the coating system becomes scratched or otherwise damaged . the purpose of such sensing is to alert personnel that a particular portion of the coating system has become compromised and needs maintenance or repair . alternatively , or in conjunction with alerting personnel , the system may initiate self - repair . finally , this embodiment may detect a disruption in an electrically conducting layer of the coating system and provide alert ( s ) to appropriate person ( s ). surface defects in an active coating may be detected by application of a thin film of an electrically conducting material and controlling a change in its conductivity . advantageously , a variety of conducting materials — i . e ., metal , carbon - containing composite , or conducting polymer — may be used . the conducting material is positioned at points of interest , where damage to the coating is to be detected . of further advantage , the conducting material may be fabricated into a sensing element in virtually any shape or size , and subsequently applied by a variety of mechanisms , including suitable adhesives . of course , an active coating such as the one described may include one or more layers that prevent and / or inhibit corrosion and chemically self - repair . for example , a corrosion inhibiting / resistive layer containing chromium or other inorganic materials are known to be both corrosion resistive and exhibit a limited self - repair capability . in addition or alternatively , numerous organic polymeric materials would also suffice as corrosion inhibiting and as such would be principal components to such a corrosion inhibiting layer . fig4 depicts a schematic of a network of sensors for the detection of corrosion and / or damage . with reference to that fig4 , a plurality of sensors 410 [ 1 ] . . . 410 [ n ] comprise a sensor element fabricated from a thin layer of conducting compound or conducting composite . this sensing element , which is only 5 - 50 μm thick , may be covered with a nonconducting protective coating as well . in operation , damage to the overall coating system will result in damage to the sensor element , which may be detected by controller 420 as a change in resistance of the sensing element , and subsequently analyzed by analyzer 430 . advantageously , such a sensitive sensing element may be affected by environmental conditions such as temperature , which may also alter its conductivity and response . consequently , with proper characterization , sensor elements such as that shown in fig4 may be used for sensing these environmental conditions as well . such a sensor element may be prepared on a glass or other suitable substrate including flexible polymers such as kapton for easy inclusion into coating systems . for this exemplary sensor however , orgacon films were spincoated on glass slides for substantially 1 minute using a commercially available spincoater . the resulting films were dried and cured on a hotplate . when prepared in this manner , the flexible polymer film thickness is between 1 and 100 microns . as can be appreciated , v - i relationship ( s ) may be conveniently measured and calculated as : r sq = π ln 2 ( v i ) ≈ 4 . 532 ( v i ) y t = 1 δ t ( r t r 0 - 1 ) where δt = t − 25 ° c . is the deviation of the temperature from standard conditions , rt is the resistance at investigated temperature , and rois the resistance at 25 ° c . turning now to fig5 , there is shown two scratch sensing elements ( a ) and ( b ) which depict linear ( a ) and parallel ( b ) sensing geometries , respectively . such element ( s ) may be prepared by painting the circuit ( s ) on a glass surface as shown and then cured . it should be noted that additional / alternative geometries are possible , depending upon the particular application . fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) show the responses of a 14 strip sensing element where each strip was scratched every 30 seconds . the strips shown in fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) were constructed using orgacon el - p3040 and orgacon el - p 4010 . as can be appreciated , the relatively high resistivity of conductive polymers make them particularly useful in the fabrication of sensing elements such as those shown in fig6 ( a ) and 6 ( b )— and especially so in those sensing elements used for scratches or surfaces that are difficult to access . advantageously , sensors constructed from conductive polymers facilitate the integration into multilayer coatings , such as those which are the subject of the instant application . still further , it is understood by those skilled in the art that such sensors are useful in any situation in which a monitored event will produce a change in resistivity in a sensor layer such as that shown and described . consequently , once an event is sensed , appropriate notification and / or repair may occur , as appropriate . at this point , while we have discussed and described my invention using some specific examples , those skilled in the art will recognize that my teachings are not so limited . more specifically , we have described coatings that exhibit a specific number of layers and compositions . it is understood that additional ( or fewer ) layer ( s ) may be provided by such coatings . accordingly , our invention should be only limited by the scope of the claims attached hereto . | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | 96720e14dde23de5f484525c1d279a09da226d8b3ffeff77291d84dd510877d6 | 0.031982 | 0.000969 | 0.012451 | 0.000216 | 0.069336 | 0.004059 |
null | fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a representative coating system according to the present invention . not specifically shown in this fig1 , is a substrate upon which the coating system is applied ( vehicle , building , etc ). from our discussion of this inventive coating system however , those skilled in the art will readily recognize nearly any material may serve as a substrate , and further appreciate the wide applicability of such systems , in a virtually limitless set of fields . returning now to that fig1 , the particular coating system 100 shown therein comprises a number of layers — each generally providing particular function . and while the particular system 100 shown in this fig1 includes seven ( 7 ) layers , the actual number of layers and the function ( s ) of each , may advantageously vary from application to application . as shown in fig1 , corrosion inhibitor layer 110 , shown at the bottom of this particular system 100 , is adjacent to , and bonds the system 100 to a substrate ( not shown ). such corrosion inhibiting materials are generally well known and may include inorganic conversion materials and / or active polymeric materials as appropriate . of further advantage , certain corrosion inhibiting materials that may comprise this corrosion inhibition layer 110 may advantageously , chemically self - heal . by way of example only , certain chromium complexes on aluminum substrates have the ability to self - heal . shown overlying the corrosion inhibition layer 110 is a power layer 120 , which in this exemplary system , provides power to other layers as required . advantageously , with our inventive system , a power layer 120 such as that depicted , need not merely distribute power to the other layers , it may additionally / alternatively regulate and / or filter power for use by other layers . still further , such layers may be made electrochemically active such that they generate power , in addition to regulating / filtering the power so generated . a sensor / sensing package layer 130 is shown in fig1 overlying the power layer 120 . advantageously , the sensor / sensing package layer 130 may include a plurality of sensors , of similar or dissimilar type . types of sensors included in layer 130 may include , temperature , strain , conductivity , pressure , corrosion , substrate integrity , radiation levels , chemicals , etc . such sensor package layer ( s ) 130 may be provided in flexible arrays , capable of physically conforming to a variety of substrate shapes and surface characteristics . in certain applications there may be more than one sensing layer . in other applications , a sensing layer may be used that comprises one - or - more sensor types located adjacent to each other in the sensing layer . of further advantage , sensor output may be relayed or otherwise transmitted to remote systems or displays for notification and / or action — as appropriate . of course , it is not necessary to transmit sensor data / information to systems “ outside ” of the coating structure 100 . advantageously , data / information processing systems may also reside within the coating structure 100 , in close physical proximity to the sensor layer 130 and its accompanying sensors . such a local data / information processing layer comprises artificial intelligence ( ai )/ network layer 140 shown in this fig1 overlying the sensor layer 130 . such ai layer ( s ) 140 may advantageously receive as input , data which is sensed by sensor layer 130 and process and / or react to that input data as appropriate . one such reaction to input data may include , for example , color or pattern changing to provide camouflage or other color characteristic ( s ). shown in fig1 is a visual display layer 160 , which may advantageously “ react ” to environmental conditions . one such use of this particular visual display layer 160 is to provide the aesthetic / tactical color - change characteristic described previously namely , changing color to camouflage or provide pleasing aesthetics . alternatively , such color change ( s ) may be advantageously used to provide information about the status / condition of the coating system 100 , itself . by way of example , recall that one sensory function of sensor layer 140 may be to sense / monitor the integrity of the coating system itself . accordingly , when a breach , or sufficient change to the coating is detected from corrosion say , the sensor layer 140 may provide data to the ai layer 140 which in turn signals the visual layer 150 to change to a color indicative of the corrosion and / or breach . alternatively and of further advantage , with particular visual layers 160 , it is not necessary to be explicitly signaled from sensory / processing layers to initiate the color change . for example , visual display layers 160 which change color upon physical / chemical contact with air , contaminants , temperature are all useful for our purposes . in this manner , the visual display layer 160 itself changes , without any interaction from other layers within the coating system 100 . by way of further example , a visual display layer 160 that is “ discolored ”, may be indicative of a breach or contact with particular environmental conditions . multi - colored visual displays 160 , may be indicative of multiple instances of contact with diverse environment ( s ). shown overlying the visual display layer 160 , is self - repair layer 170 . as is known to those skilled in the art , self - repair and micro - encapsulation techniques are in their infancy . as can be greatly appreciated by those skilled in the art , self - repair or self - healing layer ( s ) present the possibility for repair , with little or no human intervention . an obvious analogy is that of biological systems that automatically and autonomically initiate self - repair when they sustain damage . the development of autonomous self - repairing or self - healing materials such as those employed in self - repair layer 170 is ongoing . nevertheless , one useful approach to this self - healing layer 170 is through the use of microcapsules containing materials such as monomers than can repair coating damage by polymerizing or through other appropriate chemical or physical means . as may be known by those skilled in the art , microcapsules are small — 50 - 150 micron — containers that contain and release a small quantity of self - repair material , generally in liquid form , when they are broken . these microcapsules may be mixed , for example , in other known commercially - available topcoats ( paints ) or overcoats . should the overcoating become damaged , the microcapsules break open and release coating repair materials . in effect , the coating system 100 becomes self - healing when damaged . finally , our inventive , representative coating system 100 may comprise new , or otherwise novel materials that work in conjunction with the other system layers , to sense , detect , display , and / or repair the coating and / or substrate , before the system is compromised . turning now to fig2 , there is shown a conceptual diagram depicting a representative color - changing coating system constructed according to the present invention . more specifically , the system 200 includes a thin film sensor 210 layer that senses strain in a substrate , an n - type / p - type doped single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction layer 230 , a thermochromic color display layer 240 and a threshold sensing electronic and power supply circuit 220 . not specifically shown in this fig2 is a heating element layer , which heats the thermochromic display layer 240 thereby initiating its color change in response to the heating . for the purposes of this exemplary embodiment , the electronic and power supply circuitry 220 is not a part of the actual coating per - se . in contrast , the sensor layer 210 , the pn junction layer 230 , and the display layer 240 are all part of the coating film applied to the sample substrate . in this exemplary embodiment , the strain sensor layer 210 provides an indirect measure of substrate corrosion by indicating the strain of a substrate as its material performance — and in particular load bearing characteristics — are modified due to changes caused by the corrosion process . for our exemplary purposes , a substrate which underlies the above - mentioned layers was chosen due to its performance characteristics which include the ability to endure up to 1000 cycles of repeated bending without deformation , which is of interest to demonstrate the long - term applicability of our inventive coating system ( s ). in particular , the substrate chosen for this demonstration was 1018 stainless steel having a ⅛ inch thickness and 4 inch width . the strain sensor layer 210 is a flexible layer and employs a wheatstone bridge design which is the subject of united states patent application no . 2004 / 0255682 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . a consideration for choosing such a bridge design is that it is relatively independent of environmental thermal effects . given the characteristics of the strain to be measured , strain sensor ( s ) having dimensions of substantially 1 . 7 cm × 1 . 7 cm were employed . a number of which were bonded to the steel substrate using a commercially available , epoxy based adhesive . advantageously , the particular adhesive exhibited sufficient after - cure flexibility , while being non - electrically conductive . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , any of a number of such adhesives may be used , and their selection is a matter of design choice . the display layer 240 comprising thermochromic paint was employed to provide visual indication of the measured strain of the steel substrate . while a variety of color changing schemes are possible , the particular one chosen for our exemplary system turns from blue to yellow in color when heated . since this particular thermochromic paint changes color upon heating , a heating layer in contact with the sensor layer and the thermochromic layer was employed . in particular , upon a signal from the strain sensor layer , heating is activated within a heating element , generally depicted in fig2 b . as employed , the heating element 250 comprises a number of printed , silver - ink bus bars 252 , deposed in a field of silver ink film 254 . as can be appreciated , several types of commercially available silver paste / ink ( e . g ., pelco ® collodial silver paste , pelco ® conductive silver 187 and fast drying silver paint ) and caig ( circuitwriter ) were evaluated . the heating layer and element ( s ) had to dissipate uniform heat in order to effect the thermochromic ink ( 40 ° f .) color change within 3 seconds . fast drying silver paint provided satisfactory functionality , namely remain flexible , low resistance and fast drying . the silver ink was then sprayed thinly on kapton (˜ 100 micron thick ). generally , the resistance measured across the heating element is greater than 5 . 0 ohm to ensure color change in the desired interval . a single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction coating ( fig2 - 230 ) is shown in cross sectional schematic form in fig2 c - 260 . as can be seen from this fig2 c , the pn junction 260 , generally comprises an n - type swcnt 256 overlying a p - type swcnt 254 which overlies a substrate 252 . the swcnt were doped and deposited from paint or suspensions of charged and polymer - modified swcnts onto kapton - e . a thick layer (˜ 200 nm ) of au was deposited first on a pre - treated kapton - e surface to serve as a cathode . the swcnt 256 were doped by treatment of the nanotube with charge carrying polymers which techniques are generally known in the art . the length / width dimensions of the pn junction layer was substantially the same as the strain sensor layer . finally , the thermochromic display layer 240 was applied via screen - painting technique ( s ) to a thickness of substantially 100 microns . the display layer 240 was applied such that it overlies the heating element layer . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , display inks that exhibit a significant color change upon a predetermined change in temperature are well known . accordingly , for our exemplary coating , the thermal activation temperature — that is the temperature at which the ink exhibits a significant color change — is established to be substantially 40 ° f . at this point it is useful to note that while we have limited our exemplary discussion to a thermochromic visual display , our invention is advantageously not so limited . in particular , active coatings constructed according to our inventive teachings would benefit from alternative visual display technologies , e . g ., electrochromic and / or electroluminescent . as is generally known , electrochromism is characterized by a reversible color change of a material resulting from the application of an electrical current or potential . one problem with electrochromic devices and materials is the delay needed to produce an optical change , on the order of one full second or more . because of this delay , electrochromic applications have been limited . fortunately this electrochromic delay is quite acceptable for certain applications of our inventive active coating system ( s ). similarly , electroluminescent devices and materials glow when an electrical current is passed through their structures . advantageously , both electroluminescent and electrochromic visual displays may be made extremely thin and flexible , thereby providing a useful visual display for our inventive coating system ( s ). fig2 d is a schematic of an electronic control circuit used to evaluate our inventive coating system . advantageously , a comparator circuit along with a reeds relay , was included in the design to provide output threshold adjustment . this enables the setting and control of the operation level for the thermochromic display ink to change color . it may also used , for example , to prevent overloading when an external analog meter is connected / used . in addition , a 10 - pf capacitor was included at an output port to dampen out any random noise and voltage spike . the reeds relay is used so that an external power source could be used to power the thermochromic display ink instead of draining the op - amp power supply . of course , those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative electronic control circuits are useful with our inventive coating system and that such control circuits are well within the ability of those skilled in the art . turning now to fig3 , there is shown an exploded view of our demonstrative coating system 300 that exemplifies a number of aspects of our invention . more specifically , a chromic color display 310 layer , is shown overlying an electric contact layer 320 , overlying a p - n doped switch layer 330 , overlying a flexible electronics layer 340 , overlying a steel beam layer 350 . such a multi - layer coating can , for example , be employed on military or other vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopter ( s ), aircraft , water - borne vessels , as well as stationary structures and almost any other constructed object that may benefit from such active coatings . advantageously , a coating system such as that shown in fig3 , is able to sense a change in the environment ( applied pressure ), analyze the change and alert a user of the anomaly through a color change . significantly , the steel beam layer 250 is similar ( at least in practice ) to beams found in military vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopters . as can be appreciated , the layer of flexible electronics 340 which overlies the steel beam layer 350 comprises one or more strain gages that sense ( s ) deformation of the steel beam layer 350 , an amplified output signal which is directed to p - n - doped switch layer 330 , which drives the display layer 310 to change color . in our exemplary embodiment , the p - n switch layer is quite thin , i . e ., ≦ 10 microns in thickness . additional exemplary embodiments of a multilayer active coating system constructed according to the teachings of the present invention may now be considered . in particular , an embodiment employing a thin - film sensor that detects when the surface or another layer within the coating system becomes scratched or otherwise damaged . the purpose of such sensing is to alert personnel that a particular portion of the coating system has become compromised and needs maintenance or repair . alternatively , or in conjunction with alerting personnel , the system may initiate self - repair . finally , this embodiment may detect a disruption in an electrically conducting layer of the coating system and provide alert ( s ) to appropriate person ( s ). surface defects in an active coating may be detected by application of a thin film of an electrically conducting material and controlling a change in its conductivity . advantageously , a variety of conducting materials — i . e ., metal , carbon - containing composite , or conducting polymer — may be used . the conducting material is positioned at points of interest , where damage to the coating is to be detected . of further advantage , the conducting material may be fabricated into a sensing element in virtually any shape or size , and subsequently applied by a variety of mechanisms , including suitable adhesives . of course , an active coating such as the one described may include one or more layers that prevent and / or inhibit corrosion and chemically self - repair . for example , a corrosion inhibiting / resistive layer containing chromium or other inorganic materials are known to be both corrosion resistive and exhibit a limited self - repair capability . in addition or alternatively , numerous organic polymeric materials would also suffice as corrosion inhibiting and as such would be principal components to such a corrosion inhibiting layer . fig4 depicts a schematic of a network of sensors for the detection of corrosion and / or damage . with reference to that fig4 , a plurality of sensors 410 [ 1 ] . . . 410 [ n ] comprise a sensor element fabricated from a thin layer of conducting compound or conducting composite . this sensing element , which is only 5 - 50 μm thick , may be covered with a nonconducting protective coating as well . in operation , damage to the overall coating system will result in damage to the sensor element , which may be detected by controller 420 as a change in resistance of the sensing element , and subsequently analyzed by analyzer 430 . advantageously , such a sensitive sensing element may be affected by environmental conditions such as temperature , which may also alter its conductivity and response . consequently , with proper characterization , sensor elements such as that shown in fig4 may be used for sensing these environmental conditions as well . such a sensor element may be prepared on a glass or other suitable substrate including flexible polymers such as kapton for easy inclusion into coating systems . for this exemplary sensor however , orgacon films were spincoated on glass slides for substantially 1 minute using a commercially available spincoater . the resulting films were dried and cured on a hotplate . when prepared in this manner , the flexible polymer film thickness is between 1 and 100 microns . as can be appreciated , v - i relationship ( s ) may be conveniently measured and calculated as : r sq = π ln 2 ( v i ) ≈ 4 . 532 ( v i ) y t = 1 δ t ( r t r 0 - 1 ) where δt = t − 25 ° c . is the deviation of the temperature from standard conditions , rt is the resistance at investigated temperature , and rois the resistance at 25 ° c . turning now to fig5 , there is shown two scratch sensing elements ( a ) and ( b ) which depict linear ( a ) and parallel ( b ) sensing geometries , respectively . such element ( s ) may be prepared by painting the circuit ( s ) on a glass surface as shown and then cured . it should be noted that additional / alternative geometries are possible , depending upon the particular application . fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) show the responses of a 14 strip sensing element where each strip was scratched every 30 seconds . the strips shown in fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) were constructed using orgacon el - p3040 and orgacon el - p 4010 . as can be appreciated , the relatively high resistivity of conductive polymers make them particularly useful in the fabrication of sensing elements such as those shown in fig6 ( a ) and 6 ( b )— and especially so in those sensing elements used for scratches or surfaces that are difficult to access . advantageously , sensors constructed from conductive polymers facilitate the integration into multilayer coatings , such as those which are the subject of the instant application . still further , it is understood by those skilled in the art that such sensors are useful in any situation in which a monitored event will produce a change in resistivity in a sensor layer such as that shown and described . consequently , once an event is sensed , appropriate notification and / or repair may occur , as appropriate . at this point , while we have discussed and described my invention using some specific examples , those skilled in the art will recognize that my teachings are not so limited . more specifically , we have described coatings that exhibit a specific number of layers and compositions . it is understood that additional ( or fewer ) layer ( s ) may be provided by such coatings . accordingly , our invention should be only limited by the scope of the claims attached hereto . | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Electricity'? | 0.25 | 96720e14dde23de5f484525c1d279a09da226d8b3ffeff77291d84dd510877d6 | 0.031982 | 0.019165 | 0.012451 | 0.000912 | 0.069336 | 0.001328 |
null | fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a representative coating system according to the present invention . not specifically shown in this fig1 , is a substrate upon which the coating system is applied ( vehicle , building , etc ). from our discussion of this inventive coating system however , those skilled in the art will readily recognize nearly any material may serve as a substrate , and further appreciate the wide applicability of such systems , in a virtually limitless set of fields . returning now to that fig1 , the particular coating system 100 shown therein comprises a number of layers — each generally providing particular function . and while the particular system 100 shown in this fig1 includes seven ( 7 ) layers , the actual number of layers and the function ( s ) of each , may advantageously vary from application to application . as shown in fig1 , corrosion inhibitor layer 110 , shown at the bottom of this particular system 100 , is adjacent to , and bonds the system 100 to a substrate ( not shown ). such corrosion inhibiting materials are generally well known and may include inorganic conversion materials and / or active polymeric materials as appropriate . of further advantage , certain corrosion inhibiting materials that may comprise this corrosion inhibition layer 110 may advantageously , chemically self - heal . by way of example only , certain chromium complexes on aluminum substrates have the ability to self - heal . shown overlying the corrosion inhibition layer 110 is a power layer 120 , which in this exemplary system , provides power to other layers as required . advantageously , with our inventive system , a power layer 120 such as that depicted , need not merely distribute power to the other layers , it may additionally / alternatively regulate and / or filter power for use by other layers . still further , such layers may be made electrochemically active such that they generate power , in addition to regulating / filtering the power so generated . a sensor / sensing package layer 130 is shown in fig1 overlying the power layer 120 . advantageously , the sensor / sensing package layer 130 may include a plurality of sensors , of similar or dissimilar type . types of sensors included in layer 130 may include , temperature , strain , conductivity , pressure , corrosion , substrate integrity , radiation levels , chemicals , etc . such sensor package layer ( s ) 130 may be provided in flexible arrays , capable of physically conforming to a variety of substrate shapes and surface characteristics . in certain applications there may be more than one sensing layer . in other applications , a sensing layer may be used that comprises one - or - more sensor types located adjacent to each other in the sensing layer . of further advantage , sensor output may be relayed or otherwise transmitted to remote systems or displays for notification and / or action — as appropriate . of course , it is not necessary to transmit sensor data / information to systems “ outside ” of the coating structure 100 . advantageously , data / information processing systems may also reside within the coating structure 100 , in close physical proximity to the sensor layer 130 and its accompanying sensors . such a local data / information processing layer comprises artificial intelligence ( ai )/ network layer 140 shown in this fig1 overlying the sensor layer 130 . such ai layer ( s ) 140 may advantageously receive as input , data which is sensed by sensor layer 130 and process and / or react to that input data as appropriate . one such reaction to input data may include , for example , color or pattern changing to provide camouflage or other color characteristic ( s ). shown in fig1 is a visual display layer 160 , which may advantageously “ react ” to environmental conditions . one such use of this particular visual display layer 160 is to provide the aesthetic / tactical color - change characteristic described previously namely , changing color to camouflage or provide pleasing aesthetics . alternatively , such color change ( s ) may be advantageously used to provide information about the status / condition of the coating system 100 , itself . by way of example , recall that one sensory function of sensor layer 140 may be to sense / monitor the integrity of the coating system itself . accordingly , when a breach , or sufficient change to the coating is detected from corrosion say , the sensor layer 140 may provide data to the ai layer 140 which in turn signals the visual layer 150 to change to a color indicative of the corrosion and / or breach . alternatively and of further advantage , with particular visual layers 160 , it is not necessary to be explicitly signaled from sensory / processing layers to initiate the color change . for example , visual display layers 160 which change color upon physical / chemical contact with air , contaminants , temperature are all useful for our purposes . in this manner , the visual display layer 160 itself changes , without any interaction from other layers within the coating system 100 . by way of further example , a visual display layer 160 that is “ discolored ”, may be indicative of a breach or contact with particular environmental conditions . multi - colored visual displays 160 , may be indicative of multiple instances of contact with diverse environment ( s ). shown overlying the visual display layer 160 , is self - repair layer 170 . as is known to those skilled in the art , self - repair and micro - encapsulation techniques are in their infancy . as can be greatly appreciated by those skilled in the art , self - repair or self - healing layer ( s ) present the possibility for repair , with little or no human intervention . an obvious analogy is that of biological systems that automatically and autonomically initiate self - repair when they sustain damage . the development of autonomous self - repairing or self - healing materials such as those employed in self - repair layer 170 is ongoing . nevertheless , one useful approach to this self - healing layer 170 is through the use of microcapsules containing materials such as monomers than can repair coating damage by polymerizing or through other appropriate chemical or physical means . as may be known by those skilled in the art , microcapsules are small — 50 - 150 micron — containers that contain and release a small quantity of self - repair material , generally in liquid form , when they are broken . these microcapsules may be mixed , for example , in other known commercially - available topcoats ( paints ) or overcoats . should the overcoating become damaged , the microcapsules break open and release coating repair materials . in effect , the coating system 100 becomes self - healing when damaged . finally , our inventive , representative coating system 100 may comprise new , or otherwise novel materials that work in conjunction with the other system layers , to sense , detect , display , and / or repair the coating and / or substrate , before the system is compromised . turning now to fig2 , there is shown a conceptual diagram depicting a representative color - changing coating system constructed according to the present invention . more specifically , the system 200 includes a thin film sensor 210 layer that senses strain in a substrate , an n - type / p - type doped single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction layer 230 , a thermochromic color display layer 240 and a threshold sensing electronic and power supply circuit 220 . not specifically shown in this fig2 is a heating element layer , which heats the thermochromic display layer 240 thereby initiating its color change in response to the heating . for the purposes of this exemplary embodiment , the electronic and power supply circuitry 220 is not a part of the actual coating per - se . in contrast , the sensor layer 210 , the pn junction layer 230 , and the display layer 240 are all part of the coating film applied to the sample substrate . in this exemplary embodiment , the strain sensor layer 210 provides an indirect measure of substrate corrosion by indicating the strain of a substrate as its material performance — and in particular load bearing characteristics — are modified due to changes caused by the corrosion process . for our exemplary purposes , a substrate which underlies the above - mentioned layers was chosen due to its performance characteristics which include the ability to endure up to 1000 cycles of repeated bending without deformation , which is of interest to demonstrate the long - term applicability of our inventive coating system ( s ). in particular , the substrate chosen for this demonstration was 1018 stainless steel having a ⅛ inch thickness and 4 inch width . the strain sensor layer 210 is a flexible layer and employs a wheatstone bridge design which is the subject of united states patent application no . 2004 / 0255682 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . a consideration for choosing such a bridge design is that it is relatively independent of environmental thermal effects . given the characteristics of the strain to be measured , strain sensor ( s ) having dimensions of substantially 1 . 7 cm × 1 . 7 cm were employed . a number of which were bonded to the steel substrate using a commercially available , epoxy based adhesive . advantageously , the particular adhesive exhibited sufficient after - cure flexibility , while being non - electrically conductive . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , any of a number of such adhesives may be used , and their selection is a matter of design choice . the display layer 240 comprising thermochromic paint was employed to provide visual indication of the measured strain of the steel substrate . while a variety of color changing schemes are possible , the particular one chosen for our exemplary system turns from blue to yellow in color when heated . since this particular thermochromic paint changes color upon heating , a heating layer in contact with the sensor layer and the thermochromic layer was employed . in particular , upon a signal from the strain sensor layer , heating is activated within a heating element , generally depicted in fig2 b . as employed , the heating element 250 comprises a number of printed , silver - ink bus bars 252 , deposed in a field of silver ink film 254 . as can be appreciated , several types of commercially available silver paste / ink ( e . g ., pelco ® collodial silver paste , pelco ® conductive silver 187 and fast drying silver paint ) and caig ( circuitwriter ) were evaluated . the heating layer and element ( s ) had to dissipate uniform heat in order to effect the thermochromic ink ( 40 ° f .) color change within 3 seconds . fast drying silver paint provided satisfactory functionality , namely remain flexible , low resistance and fast drying . the silver ink was then sprayed thinly on kapton (˜ 100 micron thick ). generally , the resistance measured across the heating element is greater than 5 . 0 ohm to ensure color change in the desired interval . a single wall carbon nanotube ( swcnt ) pn junction coating ( fig2 - 230 ) is shown in cross sectional schematic form in fig2 c - 260 . as can be seen from this fig2 c , the pn junction 260 , generally comprises an n - type swcnt 256 overlying a p - type swcnt 254 which overlies a substrate 252 . the swcnt were doped and deposited from paint or suspensions of charged and polymer - modified swcnts onto kapton - e . a thick layer (˜ 200 nm ) of au was deposited first on a pre - treated kapton - e surface to serve as a cathode . the swcnt 256 were doped by treatment of the nanotube with charge carrying polymers which techniques are generally known in the art . the length / width dimensions of the pn junction layer was substantially the same as the strain sensor layer . finally , the thermochromic display layer 240 was applied via screen - painting technique ( s ) to a thickness of substantially 100 microns . the display layer 240 was applied such that it overlies the heating element layer . as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art , display inks that exhibit a significant color change upon a predetermined change in temperature are well known . accordingly , for our exemplary coating , the thermal activation temperature — that is the temperature at which the ink exhibits a significant color change — is established to be substantially 40 ° f . at this point it is useful to note that while we have limited our exemplary discussion to a thermochromic visual display , our invention is advantageously not so limited . in particular , active coatings constructed according to our inventive teachings would benefit from alternative visual display technologies , e . g ., electrochromic and / or electroluminescent . as is generally known , electrochromism is characterized by a reversible color change of a material resulting from the application of an electrical current or potential . one problem with electrochromic devices and materials is the delay needed to produce an optical change , on the order of one full second or more . because of this delay , electrochromic applications have been limited . fortunately this electrochromic delay is quite acceptable for certain applications of our inventive active coating system ( s ). similarly , electroluminescent devices and materials glow when an electrical current is passed through their structures . advantageously , both electroluminescent and electrochromic visual displays may be made extremely thin and flexible , thereby providing a useful visual display for our inventive coating system ( s ). fig2 d is a schematic of an electronic control circuit used to evaluate our inventive coating system . advantageously , a comparator circuit along with a reeds relay , was included in the design to provide output threshold adjustment . this enables the setting and control of the operation level for the thermochromic display ink to change color . it may also used , for example , to prevent overloading when an external analog meter is connected / used . in addition , a 10 - pf capacitor was included at an output port to dampen out any random noise and voltage spike . the reeds relay is used so that an external power source could be used to power the thermochromic display ink instead of draining the op - amp power supply . of course , those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative electronic control circuits are useful with our inventive coating system and that such control circuits are well within the ability of those skilled in the art . turning now to fig3 , there is shown an exploded view of our demonstrative coating system 300 that exemplifies a number of aspects of our invention . more specifically , a chromic color display 310 layer , is shown overlying an electric contact layer 320 , overlying a p - n doped switch layer 330 , overlying a flexible electronics layer 340 , overlying a steel beam layer 350 . such a multi - layer coating can , for example , be employed on military or other vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopter ( s ), aircraft , water - borne vessels , as well as stationary structures and almost any other constructed object that may benefit from such active coatings . advantageously , a coating system such as that shown in fig3 , is able to sense a change in the environment ( applied pressure ), analyze the change and alert a user of the anomaly through a color change . significantly , the steel beam layer 250 is similar ( at least in practice ) to beams found in military vehicles such as trucks and / or helicopters . as can be appreciated , the layer of flexible electronics 340 which overlies the steel beam layer 350 comprises one or more strain gages that sense ( s ) deformation of the steel beam layer 350 , an amplified output signal which is directed to p - n - doped switch layer 330 , which drives the display layer 310 to change color . in our exemplary embodiment , the p - n switch layer is quite thin , i . e ., ≦ 10 microns in thickness . additional exemplary embodiments of a multilayer active coating system constructed according to the teachings of the present invention may now be considered . in particular , an embodiment employing a thin - film sensor that detects when the surface or another layer within the coating system becomes scratched or otherwise damaged . the purpose of such sensing is to alert personnel that a particular portion of the coating system has become compromised and needs maintenance or repair . alternatively , or in conjunction with alerting personnel , the system may initiate self - repair . finally , this embodiment may detect a disruption in an electrically conducting layer of the coating system and provide alert ( s ) to appropriate person ( s ). surface defects in an active coating may be detected by application of a thin film of an electrically conducting material and controlling a change in its conductivity . advantageously , a variety of conducting materials — i . e ., metal , carbon - containing composite , or conducting polymer — may be used . the conducting material is positioned at points of interest , where damage to the coating is to be detected . of further advantage , the conducting material may be fabricated into a sensing element in virtually any shape or size , and subsequently applied by a variety of mechanisms , including suitable adhesives . of course , an active coating such as the one described may include one or more layers that prevent and / or inhibit corrosion and chemically self - repair . for example , a corrosion inhibiting / resistive layer containing chromium or other inorganic materials are known to be both corrosion resistive and exhibit a limited self - repair capability . in addition or alternatively , numerous organic polymeric materials would also suffice as corrosion inhibiting and as such would be principal components to such a corrosion inhibiting layer . fig4 depicts a schematic of a network of sensors for the detection of corrosion and / or damage . with reference to that fig4 , a plurality of sensors 410 [ 1 ] . . . 410 [ n ] comprise a sensor element fabricated from a thin layer of conducting compound or conducting composite . this sensing element , which is only 5 - 50 μm thick , may be covered with a nonconducting protective coating as well . in operation , damage to the overall coating system will result in damage to the sensor element , which may be detected by controller 420 as a change in resistance of the sensing element , and subsequently analyzed by analyzer 430 . advantageously , such a sensitive sensing element may be affected by environmental conditions such as temperature , which may also alter its conductivity and response . consequently , with proper characterization , sensor elements such as that shown in fig4 may be used for sensing these environmental conditions as well . such a sensor element may be prepared on a glass or other suitable substrate including flexible polymers such as kapton for easy inclusion into coating systems . for this exemplary sensor however , orgacon films were spincoated on glass slides for substantially 1 minute using a commercially available spincoater . the resulting films were dried and cured on a hotplate . when prepared in this manner , the flexible polymer film thickness is between 1 and 100 microns . as can be appreciated , v - i relationship ( s ) may be conveniently measured and calculated as : r sq = π ln 2 ( v i ) ≈ 4 . 532 ( v i ) y t = 1 δ t ( r t r 0 - 1 ) where δt = t − 25 ° c . is the deviation of the temperature from standard conditions , rt is the resistance at investigated temperature , and rois the resistance at 25 ° c . turning now to fig5 , there is shown two scratch sensing elements ( a ) and ( b ) which depict linear ( a ) and parallel ( b ) sensing geometries , respectively . such element ( s ) may be prepared by painting the circuit ( s ) on a glass surface as shown and then cured . it should be noted that additional / alternative geometries are possible , depending upon the particular application . fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) show the responses of a 14 strip sensing element where each strip was scratched every 30 seconds . the strips shown in fig6 ( a ) and fig6 ( b ) were constructed using orgacon el - p3040 and orgacon el - p 4010 . as can be appreciated , the relatively high resistivity of conductive polymers make them particularly useful in the fabrication of sensing elements such as those shown in fig6 ( a ) and 6 ( b )— and especially so in those sensing elements used for scratches or surfaces that are difficult to access . advantageously , sensors constructed from conductive polymers facilitate the integration into multilayer coatings , such as those which are the subject of the instant application . still further , it is understood by those skilled in the art that such sensors are useful in any situation in which a monitored event will produce a change in resistivity in a sensor layer such as that shown and described . consequently , once an event is sensed , appropriate notification and / or repair may occur , as appropriate . at this point , while we have discussed and described my invention using some specific examples , those skilled in the art will recognize that my teachings are not so limited . more specifically , we have described coatings that exhibit a specific number of layers and compositions . it is understood that additional ( or fewer ) layer ( s ) may be provided by such coatings . accordingly , our invention should be only limited by the scope of the claims attached hereto . | Is 'Physics' 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 | 96720e14dde23de5f484525c1d279a09da226d8b3ffeff77291d84dd510877d6 | 0.031982 | 0.233398 | 0.012451 | 0.390625 | 0.069336 | 0.15625 |
null | in exemplary embodiments , the systems and methods described include wafer bonding to create buried metal layers and metallic through - vias . the systems and methods described herein are implemented to reduce or eliminate chip modes , and in addition can provide cross - talk isolation between rf structures . it has been determined that existing chip modes can be reduced or eliminated by either quenching the mode by building metallic structures into the chip in order to disrupt the mode , or by isolating the structures in a faraday cage in order to shield the structures from the chip modes . incorporation of dielectrics into the fabrication sequence can lead to reduction in the coherence time of the qubits and should be avoided , as further described herein . as described herein , superconducting transmon quantum computing test structures often exhibit significant undesired cross - talk . for experiments with only a handful of qubits this cross - talk can be quantified and understood , and therefore corrected . as quantum computing circuits become more complex , and thereby contain increasing numbers of qubits and resonators , it becomes more vital that the inadvertent coupling between these elements is reduced or eliminated . the task of accurately controlling each single qubit to the level of precision required throughout the realization of a quantum algorithm is difficult by itself , but coupled with the need of nulling out leakage signals from neighboring qubits or resonators would quickly become impossible . for example in one realization of a superconducting qubit circuit used for quantum calculations , each qubit has four neighbors and operations between four different pairs . if there is poor isolation , then each qubit is potentially also talking to qubits one hop away , up to nine total qubits . in another example , each qubit is an oscillator with a resonating frequency , that ideally resonates indefinitely ( i . e ., has an ideal coherence ). for the case in which crosstalk occurs via chip modes , this communication is not nearest neighbor , but rather is non - local so that qubits which are widely separated can communicate with each other . correcting for this situation would quickly become intractable as the size of the quantum circuit increases . a second issue exists in that if the qubit communicates to chip modes , then each communication is an energy transfer that can de - phase or reduce amplitude of the resonant frequency ( i . e ., a reduction in t 1 and t 2 ). as such , there is a reduction in the coherence time of the qubit if it couples into a chip mode . in quantum computing , coherence times are preserved in order to perform proper calculations . in exemplary embodiments , the systems and methods described herein address these issues by selectively placing vias having metal fillings that are coupled to a buried metal surface . the locations of the vias are selected based on where modes of a subsequently fabricated qubit circuit will reside on a surface of the substrate in which the vias are disposed . in exemplary embodiments , modeling of the qubit circuit enables selection of locations of the vias . in operation , when the qubit circuit couples to chip modes , the modes conduct into the metal fillings and are shorted into the buried metal surface . thus the modes are killed . in exemplary embodiments , the modes have wavelengths longer than distances between the vias . in exemplary embodiments , the locations of the vias can also be selected to isolate individual devices in the qubit circuit , thereby placing vias around the devices so that modes are kept isolated between the vias and then shorted to the buried metal layer . several embodiments of implementation of metallic through - vias coupled with buried metal ground planes can be implemented to both quench chip modes and to isolate rf components from these modes . the systems and methods described herein provide improvement in qubit coherence as well as increased cross - talk immunity for rf devices on the chip . by implementing wafer bonding to create a buried metal layer , advantages of via methods are obtained with ground backplane to isolate key circuit components and in addition other advantages are opened up as well including the ability to pattern the back metal layer ( bml ) and also incorporate structures into the second wafer which can be used for addressing rf structures . several embodiments are now described . fig1 illustrates a flowchart of a method 100 for fabricating a chip - surface base onto which qubit circuits can be manufactured . the base provides chip mode isolation and cross - talk reduction through buried metal layers and through - vias . fig2 illustrates a first substrate 200 . at block 105 , the first substrate 200 is prepared for processing . in exemplary embodiments , the first substrate 200 is selected to reduce dielectric loss tangent at low temperatures . the first substrate 200 is also selected to be a material which can be etched selectively to the superconducting and dielectric material to be used for subsequent qubit circuit fabrication . for example , high resistivity si wafers may be implemented . fig3 illustrates the substrate 200 with etched vias 205 . at block 110 , the vias 205 are etched into the substrate . any suitable photolithography techniques can be implemented to pattern the vias 205 . in addition , any suitable etching techniques can be implemented including , but not limited to , plasma - enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( pecvd ) for insulator deposition . for example , a reactive ion etching ( rie ) for etching samples and spinners to coat silicon chips and wafers with lithographic resist may be used . in addition , any etch alignment features for latter processing can be performed at block 110 . fig4 illustrates the vias 205 filled with metal fillings 210 ( e . g ., a superconducting material such as but not limited to aluminum ( al )). at block 115 , the metal fillings 210 are deposited into the vias 205 . in exemplary embodiments , the lengths of the metal fillings 210 are in the range of 50 - 160 microns . the first substrate can be polished to ensure a flush surface and that the metal fillings 210 are exposed . fig5 illustrates the first substrate 200 with metal fillings 210 and a second substrate 220 . in exemplary embodiments , a metal layer 225 can be deposited on the second substrate 220 . a metal layer 201 can also be deposited on the first substrate 200 over the metal fillings 210 . at block 120 , the second substrate 220 is prepared . in exemplary embodiments , the second substrate 220 is selected to reduce dielectric loss tangent at low temperatures . for example , high resistivity si wafers may be implemented . the second substrate 220 is also selected to be a material which can be etched selectively to the superconducting and dielectric material to be used for subsequent qubit circuit fabrication . as described herein metal layers 201 , 225 can be deposited on one or both of the first and second substrates 200 , 200 respectively . the metal layers 201 , 225 are preferably the same material as the metal fillings 210 . fig6 illustrates the first and second substrates 200 , 220 bonded to one another . at block 125 the first and second substrates 200 , 220 are bonded together with a low - temperature anneal . at block 130 , the surface of the first substrate 200 is polished to fully expose the vias . subsequent fabrication , shone at block 135 , includes fabricating a qubit circuit 290 atop the first substrate , along with other resonators and top metallization . as described herein , the metal fillings 210 are positioned with the subsequent qubit circuit 290 in mind , and placed where the modes of the qubit circuit will reside . in this way , the metal fillings 210 conduct the modes and short the modes to the now buried metal layers 201 , 225 , thereby suppressing the modes from leaking to other qubit circuits . fig7 illustrates a flowchart of another method 700 for fabricating a chip surface base onto which qubit circuits can be manufactured . the base provides chip mode isolation and cross - talk reduction through buried metal layers and through - vias . fig8 illustrates a first and second substrate 800 , 820 . at block 705 , the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are prepared for processing . in exemplary embodiments , the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are selected to reduce dielectric loss tangent at low temperatures . the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are also selected to be a material which can be etched selectively to the superconducting and dielectric material to be used for subsequent qubit circuit fabrication . for example , high resistivity si wafers may be implemented . in exemplary embodiments , metal layers 801 , 825 can be deposited on the first and second substrates 800 , 820 respectively . as described herein metal layers 801 , 825 can be deposited on one or both of the first and second substrates 800 , 820 respectively . fig9 illustrates the first and second substrates 800 , 820 bonded to one another . at block 710 the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are bonded together with a low - temperature anneal . fig1 illustrates the substrate 800 with etched vias 805 . at block 715 , the vias 805 are etched into the substrate . any suitable photolithography techniques can be implemented to pattern the vias 805 . in addition , any suitable etching techniques can be implemented including , but not limited to , plasma - enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( pecvd ) for insulator deposition . for example , a reactive ion etching ( rie ) for etching samples and spinners to coat silicon chips and wafers with lithographic resist may be used . in addition , any etch alignment features for latter processing can be performed at block 715 . fig1 illustrates the vias 805 filled with metal fillings 810 ( e . g ., a superconducting material such as but not limited to aluminum and preferably the same material as the metal layers 801 , 825 ). at block 720 , the metal fillings 810 are deposited into the vias 805 . in exemplary embodiments , the lengths of the metal fillings 810 are in the range of 50 - 160 microns . at block 725 , the surface of the first substrate 800 is polished to fully expose the vias . subsequent fabrication includes fabricating a qubit circuit atop the first substrate , along with other resonators and top metallization . as described herein , the metal fillings 810 are positioned with the subsequent qubit circuit in mind , and placed where the modes of the qubit circuit will reside . in this way , the metal fillings 810 conduct the modes and short the modes to the now buried metal layers 801 , 825 , thereby suppressing the odes from leaking to other qubit circuits . it can be appreciated that an implementation of a combination of buried metal layers with connected vias form isolation cage for rf structures on chip surface . the systems and methods described herein have an absence of dielectrics in buried layers which prevent a reduction in coherence times . additional layers can be implemented to allow bonding ( i . e ., adhesion layers ). all metallization procedures described herein are patterned in order to isolate grounds and prevent mode coupling between devices . the methods described herein can include rie end - pointing on al coatings . in addition , the methods can include incorporation of wiring and structures into the bonding substrate wafer . this can be used for wiring between structures and provide access to the rf structures on the primary wafer . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ” and “ the ” are intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . it will be further understood that the terms “ comprises ” and / or “ comprising ,” when used in this specification , specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one more other features , integers , steps , operations , element components , and / or groups thereof . the corresponding structures , materials , acts , and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure , material , or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed . the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application , and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated the flow diagrams depicted herein are just one example . there may be many variations to this diagram or the steps ( or operations ) described therein without departing from the spirit of the invention . for instance , the steps may be performed in a differing order or steps may be added , deleted or modified . all of these variations are considered a part of the claimed invention . while the preferred embodiment to the invention had been described , it will be understood that those skilled in the art , both now and in the future , may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow . these claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described . | Is 'Physics' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | 325b09084e3760f0509f2babdcd5c2606397b9152288f01628c287be57bf9a73 | 0.059326 | 0.001282 | 0.081543 | 0.000096 | 0.185547 | 0.001808 |
null | in exemplary embodiments , the systems and methods described include wafer bonding to create buried metal layers and metallic through - vias . the systems and methods described herein are implemented to reduce or eliminate chip modes , and in addition can provide cross - talk isolation between rf structures . it has been determined that existing chip modes can be reduced or eliminated by either quenching the mode by building metallic structures into the chip in order to disrupt the mode , or by isolating the structures in a faraday cage in order to shield the structures from the chip modes . incorporation of dielectrics into the fabrication sequence can lead to reduction in the coherence time of the qubits and should be avoided , as further described herein . as described herein , superconducting transmon quantum computing test structures often exhibit significant undesired cross - talk . for experiments with only a handful of qubits this cross - talk can be quantified and understood , and therefore corrected . as quantum computing circuits become more complex , and thereby contain increasing numbers of qubits and resonators , it becomes more vital that the inadvertent coupling between these elements is reduced or eliminated . the task of accurately controlling each single qubit to the level of precision required throughout the realization of a quantum algorithm is difficult by itself , but coupled with the need of nulling out leakage signals from neighboring qubits or resonators would quickly become impossible . for example in one realization of a superconducting qubit circuit used for quantum calculations , each qubit has four neighbors and operations between four different pairs . if there is poor isolation , then each qubit is potentially also talking to qubits one hop away , up to nine total qubits . in another example , each qubit is an oscillator with a resonating frequency , that ideally resonates indefinitely ( i . e ., has an ideal coherence ). for the case in which crosstalk occurs via chip modes , this communication is not nearest neighbor , but rather is non - local so that qubits which are widely separated can communicate with each other . correcting for this situation would quickly become intractable as the size of the quantum circuit increases . a second issue exists in that if the qubit communicates to chip modes , then each communication is an energy transfer that can de - phase or reduce amplitude of the resonant frequency ( i . e ., a reduction in t 1 and t 2 ). as such , there is a reduction in the coherence time of the qubit if it couples into a chip mode . in quantum computing , coherence times are preserved in order to perform proper calculations . in exemplary embodiments , the systems and methods described herein address these issues by selectively placing vias having metal fillings that are coupled to a buried metal surface . the locations of the vias are selected based on where modes of a subsequently fabricated qubit circuit will reside on a surface of the substrate in which the vias are disposed . in exemplary embodiments , modeling of the qubit circuit enables selection of locations of the vias . in operation , when the qubit circuit couples to chip modes , the modes conduct into the metal fillings and are shorted into the buried metal surface . thus the modes are killed . in exemplary embodiments , the modes have wavelengths longer than distances between the vias . in exemplary embodiments , the locations of the vias can also be selected to isolate individual devices in the qubit circuit , thereby placing vias around the devices so that modes are kept isolated between the vias and then shorted to the buried metal layer . several embodiments of implementation of metallic through - vias coupled with buried metal ground planes can be implemented to both quench chip modes and to isolate rf components from these modes . the systems and methods described herein provide improvement in qubit coherence as well as increased cross - talk immunity for rf devices on the chip . by implementing wafer bonding to create a buried metal layer , advantages of via methods are obtained with ground backplane to isolate key circuit components and in addition other advantages are opened up as well including the ability to pattern the back metal layer ( bml ) and also incorporate structures into the second wafer which can be used for addressing rf structures . several embodiments are now described . fig1 illustrates a flowchart of a method 100 for fabricating a chip - surface base onto which qubit circuits can be manufactured . the base provides chip mode isolation and cross - talk reduction through buried metal layers and through - vias . fig2 illustrates a first substrate 200 . at block 105 , the first substrate 200 is prepared for processing . in exemplary embodiments , the first substrate 200 is selected to reduce dielectric loss tangent at low temperatures . the first substrate 200 is also selected to be a material which can be etched selectively to the superconducting and dielectric material to be used for subsequent qubit circuit fabrication . for example , high resistivity si wafers may be implemented . fig3 illustrates the substrate 200 with etched vias 205 . at block 110 , the vias 205 are etched into the substrate . any suitable photolithography techniques can be implemented to pattern the vias 205 . in addition , any suitable etching techniques can be implemented including , but not limited to , plasma - enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( pecvd ) for insulator deposition . for example , a reactive ion etching ( rie ) for etching samples and spinners to coat silicon chips and wafers with lithographic resist may be used . in addition , any etch alignment features for latter processing can be performed at block 110 . fig4 illustrates the vias 205 filled with metal fillings 210 ( e . g ., a superconducting material such as but not limited to aluminum ( al )). at block 115 , the metal fillings 210 are deposited into the vias 205 . in exemplary embodiments , the lengths of the metal fillings 210 are in the range of 50 - 160 microns . the first substrate can be polished to ensure a flush surface and that the metal fillings 210 are exposed . fig5 illustrates the first substrate 200 with metal fillings 210 and a second substrate 220 . in exemplary embodiments , a metal layer 225 can be deposited on the second substrate 220 . a metal layer 201 can also be deposited on the first substrate 200 over the metal fillings 210 . at block 120 , the second substrate 220 is prepared . in exemplary embodiments , the second substrate 220 is selected to reduce dielectric loss tangent at low temperatures . for example , high resistivity si wafers may be implemented . the second substrate 220 is also selected to be a material which can be etched selectively to the superconducting and dielectric material to be used for subsequent qubit circuit fabrication . as described herein metal layers 201 , 225 can be deposited on one or both of the first and second substrates 200 , 200 respectively . the metal layers 201 , 225 are preferably the same material as the metal fillings 210 . fig6 illustrates the first and second substrates 200 , 220 bonded to one another . at block 125 the first and second substrates 200 , 220 are bonded together with a low - temperature anneal . at block 130 , the surface of the first substrate 200 is polished to fully expose the vias . subsequent fabrication , shone at block 135 , includes fabricating a qubit circuit 290 atop the first substrate , along with other resonators and top metallization . as described herein , the metal fillings 210 are positioned with the subsequent qubit circuit 290 in mind , and placed where the modes of the qubit circuit will reside . in this way , the metal fillings 210 conduct the modes and short the modes to the now buried metal layers 201 , 225 , thereby suppressing the modes from leaking to other qubit circuits . fig7 illustrates a flowchart of another method 700 for fabricating a chip surface base onto which qubit circuits can be manufactured . the base provides chip mode isolation and cross - talk reduction through buried metal layers and through - vias . fig8 illustrates a first and second substrate 800 , 820 . at block 705 , the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are prepared for processing . in exemplary embodiments , the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are selected to reduce dielectric loss tangent at low temperatures . the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are also selected to be a material which can be etched selectively to the superconducting and dielectric material to be used for subsequent qubit circuit fabrication . for example , high resistivity si wafers may be implemented . in exemplary embodiments , metal layers 801 , 825 can be deposited on the first and second substrates 800 , 820 respectively . as described herein metal layers 801 , 825 can be deposited on one or both of the first and second substrates 800 , 820 respectively . fig9 illustrates the first and second substrates 800 , 820 bonded to one another . at block 710 the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are bonded together with a low - temperature anneal . fig1 illustrates the substrate 800 with etched vias 805 . at block 715 , the vias 805 are etched into the substrate . any suitable photolithography techniques can be implemented to pattern the vias 805 . in addition , any suitable etching techniques can be implemented including , but not limited to , plasma - enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( pecvd ) for insulator deposition . for example , a reactive ion etching ( rie ) for etching samples and spinners to coat silicon chips and wafers with lithographic resist may be used . in addition , any etch alignment features for latter processing can be performed at block 715 . fig1 illustrates the vias 805 filled with metal fillings 810 ( e . g ., a superconducting material such as but not limited to aluminum and preferably the same material as the metal layers 801 , 825 ). at block 720 , the metal fillings 810 are deposited into the vias 805 . in exemplary embodiments , the lengths of the metal fillings 810 are in the range of 50 - 160 microns . at block 725 , the surface of the first substrate 800 is polished to fully expose the vias . subsequent fabrication includes fabricating a qubit circuit atop the first substrate , along with other resonators and top metallization . as described herein , the metal fillings 810 are positioned with the subsequent qubit circuit in mind , and placed where the modes of the qubit circuit will reside . in this way , the metal fillings 810 conduct the modes and short the modes to the now buried metal layers 801 , 825 , thereby suppressing the odes from leaking to other qubit circuits . it can be appreciated that an implementation of a combination of buried metal layers with connected vias form isolation cage for rf structures on chip surface . the systems and methods described herein have an absence of dielectrics in buried layers which prevent a reduction in coherence times . additional layers can be implemented to allow bonding ( i . e ., adhesion layers ). all metallization procedures described herein are patterned in order to isolate grounds and prevent mode coupling between devices . the methods described herein can include rie end - pointing on al coatings . in addition , the methods can include incorporation of wiring and structures into the bonding substrate wafer . this can be used for wiring between structures and provide access to the rf structures on the primary wafer . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ” and “ the ” are intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . it will be further understood that the terms “ comprises ” and / or “ comprising ,” when used in this specification , specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one more other features , integers , steps , operations , element components , and / or groups thereof . the corresponding structures , materials , acts , and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure , material , or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed . the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application , and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated the flow diagrams depicted herein are just one example . there may be many variations to this diagram or the steps ( or operations ) described therein without departing from the spirit of the invention . for instance , the steps may be performed in a differing order or steps may be added , deleted or modified . all of these variations are considered a part of the claimed invention . while the preferred embodiment to the invention had been described , it will be understood that those skilled in the art , both now and in the future , may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow . these claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | 325b09084e3760f0509f2babdcd5c2606397b9152288f01628c287be57bf9a73 | 0.079102 | 0.014526 | 0.099609 | 0.001701 | 0.128906 | 0.018311 |
null | in exemplary embodiments , the systems and methods described include wafer bonding to create buried metal layers and metallic through - vias . the systems and methods described herein are implemented to reduce or eliminate chip modes , and in addition can provide cross - talk isolation between rf structures . it has been determined that existing chip modes can be reduced or eliminated by either quenching the mode by building metallic structures into the chip in order to disrupt the mode , or by isolating the structures in a faraday cage in order to shield the structures from the chip modes . incorporation of dielectrics into the fabrication sequence can lead to reduction in the coherence time of the qubits and should be avoided , as further described herein . as described herein , superconducting transmon quantum computing test structures often exhibit significant undesired cross - talk . for experiments with only a handful of qubits this cross - talk can be quantified and understood , and therefore corrected . as quantum computing circuits become more complex , and thereby contain increasing numbers of qubits and resonators , it becomes more vital that the inadvertent coupling between these elements is reduced or eliminated . the task of accurately controlling each single qubit to the level of precision required throughout the realization of a quantum algorithm is difficult by itself , but coupled with the need of nulling out leakage signals from neighboring qubits or resonators would quickly become impossible . for example in one realization of a superconducting qubit circuit used for quantum calculations , each qubit has four neighbors and operations between four different pairs . if there is poor isolation , then each qubit is potentially also talking to qubits one hop away , up to nine total qubits . in another example , each qubit is an oscillator with a resonating frequency , that ideally resonates indefinitely ( i . e ., has an ideal coherence ). for the case in which crosstalk occurs via chip modes , this communication is not nearest neighbor , but rather is non - local so that qubits which are widely separated can communicate with each other . correcting for this situation would quickly become intractable as the size of the quantum circuit increases . a second issue exists in that if the qubit communicates to chip modes , then each communication is an energy transfer that can de - phase or reduce amplitude of the resonant frequency ( i . e ., a reduction in t 1 and t 2 ). as such , there is a reduction in the coherence time of the qubit if it couples into a chip mode . in quantum computing , coherence times are preserved in order to perform proper calculations . in exemplary embodiments , the systems and methods described herein address these issues by selectively placing vias having metal fillings that are coupled to a buried metal surface . the locations of the vias are selected based on where modes of a subsequently fabricated qubit circuit will reside on a surface of the substrate in which the vias are disposed . in exemplary embodiments , modeling of the qubit circuit enables selection of locations of the vias . in operation , when the qubit circuit couples to chip modes , the modes conduct into the metal fillings and are shorted into the buried metal surface . thus the modes are killed . in exemplary embodiments , the modes have wavelengths longer than distances between the vias . in exemplary embodiments , the locations of the vias can also be selected to isolate individual devices in the qubit circuit , thereby placing vias around the devices so that modes are kept isolated between the vias and then shorted to the buried metal layer . several embodiments of implementation of metallic through - vias coupled with buried metal ground planes can be implemented to both quench chip modes and to isolate rf components from these modes . the systems and methods described herein provide improvement in qubit coherence as well as increased cross - talk immunity for rf devices on the chip . by implementing wafer bonding to create a buried metal layer , advantages of via methods are obtained with ground backplane to isolate key circuit components and in addition other advantages are opened up as well including the ability to pattern the back metal layer ( bml ) and also incorporate structures into the second wafer which can be used for addressing rf structures . several embodiments are now described . fig1 illustrates a flowchart of a method 100 for fabricating a chip - surface base onto which qubit circuits can be manufactured . the base provides chip mode isolation and cross - talk reduction through buried metal layers and through - vias . fig2 illustrates a first substrate 200 . at block 105 , the first substrate 200 is prepared for processing . in exemplary embodiments , the first substrate 200 is selected to reduce dielectric loss tangent at low temperatures . the first substrate 200 is also selected to be a material which can be etched selectively to the superconducting and dielectric material to be used for subsequent qubit circuit fabrication . for example , high resistivity si wafers may be implemented . fig3 illustrates the substrate 200 with etched vias 205 . at block 110 , the vias 205 are etched into the substrate . any suitable photolithography techniques can be implemented to pattern the vias 205 . in addition , any suitable etching techniques can be implemented including , but not limited to , plasma - enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( pecvd ) for insulator deposition . for example , a reactive ion etching ( rie ) for etching samples and spinners to coat silicon chips and wafers with lithographic resist may be used . in addition , any etch alignment features for latter processing can be performed at block 110 . fig4 illustrates the vias 205 filled with metal fillings 210 ( e . g ., a superconducting material such as but not limited to aluminum ( al )). at block 115 , the metal fillings 210 are deposited into the vias 205 . in exemplary embodiments , the lengths of the metal fillings 210 are in the range of 50 - 160 microns . the first substrate can be polished to ensure a flush surface and that the metal fillings 210 are exposed . fig5 illustrates the first substrate 200 with metal fillings 210 and a second substrate 220 . in exemplary embodiments , a metal layer 225 can be deposited on the second substrate 220 . a metal layer 201 can also be deposited on the first substrate 200 over the metal fillings 210 . at block 120 , the second substrate 220 is prepared . in exemplary embodiments , the second substrate 220 is selected to reduce dielectric loss tangent at low temperatures . for example , high resistivity si wafers may be implemented . the second substrate 220 is also selected to be a material which can be etched selectively to the superconducting and dielectric material to be used for subsequent qubit circuit fabrication . as described herein metal layers 201 , 225 can be deposited on one or both of the first and second substrates 200 , 200 respectively . the metal layers 201 , 225 are preferably the same material as the metal fillings 210 . fig6 illustrates the first and second substrates 200 , 220 bonded to one another . at block 125 the first and second substrates 200 , 220 are bonded together with a low - temperature anneal . at block 130 , the surface of the first substrate 200 is polished to fully expose the vias . subsequent fabrication , shone at block 135 , includes fabricating a qubit circuit 290 atop the first substrate , along with other resonators and top metallization . as described herein , the metal fillings 210 are positioned with the subsequent qubit circuit 290 in mind , and placed where the modes of the qubit circuit will reside . in this way , the metal fillings 210 conduct the modes and short the modes to the now buried metal layers 201 , 225 , thereby suppressing the modes from leaking to other qubit circuits . fig7 illustrates a flowchart of another method 700 for fabricating a chip surface base onto which qubit circuits can be manufactured . the base provides chip mode isolation and cross - talk reduction through buried metal layers and through - vias . fig8 illustrates a first and second substrate 800 , 820 . at block 705 , the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are prepared for processing . in exemplary embodiments , the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are selected to reduce dielectric loss tangent at low temperatures . the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are also selected to be a material which can be etched selectively to the superconducting and dielectric material to be used for subsequent qubit circuit fabrication . for example , high resistivity si wafers may be implemented . in exemplary embodiments , metal layers 801 , 825 can be deposited on the first and second substrates 800 , 820 respectively . as described herein metal layers 801 , 825 can be deposited on one or both of the first and second substrates 800 , 820 respectively . fig9 illustrates the first and second substrates 800 , 820 bonded to one another . at block 710 the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are bonded together with a low - temperature anneal . fig1 illustrates the substrate 800 with etched vias 805 . at block 715 , the vias 805 are etched into the substrate . any suitable photolithography techniques can be implemented to pattern the vias 805 . in addition , any suitable etching techniques can be implemented including , but not limited to , plasma - enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( pecvd ) for insulator deposition . for example , a reactive ion etching ( rie ) for etching samples and spinners to coat silicon chips and wafers with lithographic resist may be used . in addition , any etch alignment features for latter processing can be performed at block 715 . fig1 illustrates the vias 805 filled with metal fillings 810 ( e . g ., a superconducting material such as but not limited to aluminum and preferably the same material as the metal layers 801 , 825 ). at block 720 , the metal fillings 810 are deposited into the vias 805 . in exemplary embodiments , the lengths of the metal fillings 810 are in the range of 50 - 160 microns . at block 725 , the surface of the first substrate 800 is polished to fully expose the vias . subsequent fabrication includes fabricating a qubit circuit atop the first substrate , along with other resonators and top metallization . as described herein , the metal fillings 810 are positioned with the subsequent qubit circuit in mind , and placed where the modes of the qubit circuit will reside . in this way , the metal fillings 810 conduct the modes and short the modes to the now buried metal layers 801 , 825 , thereby suppressing the odes from leaking to other qubit circuits . it can be appreciated that an implementation of a combination of buried metal layers with connected vias form isolation cage for rf structures on chip surface . the systems and methods described herein have an absence of dielectrics in buried layers which prevent a reduction in coherence times . additional layers can be implemented to allow bonding ( i . e ., adhesion layers ). all metallization procedures described herein are patterned in order to isolate grounds and prevent mode coupling between devices . the methods described herein can include rie end - pointing on al coatings . in addition , the methods can include incorporation of wiring and structures into the bonding substrate wafer . this can be used for wiring between structures and provide access to the rf structures on the primary wafer . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ” and “ the ” are intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . it will be further understood that the terms “ comprises ” and / or “ comprising ,” when used in this specification , specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one more other features , integers , steps , operations , element components , and / or groups thereof . the corresponding structures , materials , acts , and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure , material , or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed . the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application , and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated the flow diagrams depicted herein are just one example . there may be many variations to this diagram or the steps ( or operations ) described therein without departing from the spirit of the invention . for instance , the steps may be performed in a differing order or steps may be added , deleted or modified . all of these variations are considered a part of the claimed invention . while the preferred embodiment to the invention had been described , it will be understood that those skilled in the art , both now and in the future , may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow . these claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | Is 'Chemistry; Metallurgy' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 325b09084e3760f0509f2babdcd5c2606397b9152288f01628c287be57bf9a73 | 0.079102 | 0.042725 | 0.099609 | 0.007111 | 0.128906 | 0.016968 |
null | in exemplary embodiments , the systems and methods described include wafer bonding to create buried metal layers and metallic through - vias . the systems and methods described herein are implemented to reduce or eliminate chip modes , and in addition can provide cross - talk isolation between rf structures . it has been determined that existing chip modes can be reduced or eliminated by either quenching the mode by building metallic structures into the chip in order to disrupt the mode , or by isolating the structures in a faraday cage in order to shield the structures from the chip modes . incorporation of dielectrics into the fabrication sequence can lead to reduction in the coherence time of the qubits and should be avoided , as further described herein . as described herein , superconducting transmon quantum computing test structures often exhibit significant undesired cross - talk . for experiments with only a handful of qubits this cross - talk can be quantified and understood , and therefore corrected . as quantum computing circuits become more complex , and thereby contain increasing numbers of qubits and resonators , it becomes more vital that the inadvertent coupling between these elements is reduced or eliminated . the task of accurately controlling each single qubit to the level of precision required throughout the realization of a quantum algorithm is difficult by itself , but coupled with the need of nulling out leakage signals from neighboring qubits or resonators would quickly become impossible . for example in one realization of a superconducting qubit circuit used for quantum calculations , each qubit has four neighbors and operations between four different pairs . if there is poor isolation , then each qubit is potentially also talking to qubits one hop away , up to nine total qubits . in another example , each qubit is an oscillator with a resonating frequency , that ideally resonates indefinitely ( i . e ., has an ideal coherence ). for the case in which crosstalk occurs via chip modes , this communication is not nearest neighbor , but rather is non - local so that qubits which are widely separated can communicate with each other . correcting for this situation would quickly become intractable as the size of the quantum circuit increases . a second issue exists in that if the qubit communicates to chip modes , then each communication is an energy transfer that can de - phase or reduce amplitude of the resonant frequency ( i . e ., a reduction in t 1 and t 2 ). as such , there is a reduction in the coherence time of the qubit if it couples into a chip mode . in quantum computing , coherence times are preserved in order to perform proper calculations . in exemplary embodiments , the systems and methods described herein address these issues by selectively placing vias having metal fillings that are coupled to a buried metal surface . the locations of the vias are selected based on where modes of a subsequently fabricated qubit circuit will reside on a surface of the substrate in which the vias are disposed . in exemplary embodiments , modeling of the qubit circuit enables selection of locations of the vias . in operation , when the qubit circuit couples to chip modes , the modes conduct into the metal fillings and are shorted into the buried metal surface . thus the modes are killed . in exemplary embodiments , the modes have wavelengths longer than distances between the vias . in exemplary embodiments , the locations of the vias can also be selected to isolate individual devices in the qubit circuit , thereby placing vias around the devices so that modes are kept isolated between the vias and then shorted to the buried metal layer . several embodiments of implementation of metallic through - vias coupled with buried metal ground planes can be implemented to both quench chip modes and to isolate rf components from these modes . the systems and methods described herein provide improvement in qubit coherence as well as increased cross - talk immunity for rf devices on the chip . by implementing wafer bonding to create a buried metal layer , advantages of via methods are obtained with ground backplane to isolate key circuit components and in addition other advantages are opened up as well including the ability to pattern the back metal layer ( bml ) and also incorporate structures into the second wafer which can be used for addressing rf structures . several embodiments are now described . fig1 illustrates a flowchart of a method 100 for fabricating a chip - surface base onto which qubit circuits can be manufactured . the base provides chip mode isolation and cross - talk reduction through buried metal layers and through - vias . fig2 illustrates a first substrate 200 . at block 105 , the first substrate 200 is prepared for processing . in exemplary embodiments , the first substrate 200 is selected to reduce dielectric loss tangent at low temperatures . the first substrate 200 is also selected to be a material which can be etched selectively to the superconducting and dielectric material to be used for subsequent qubit circuit fabrication . for example , high resistivity si wafers may be implemented . fig3 illustrates the substrate 200 with etched vias 205 . at block 110 , the vias 205 are etched into the substrate . any suitable photolithography techniques can be implemented to pattern the vias 205 . in addition , any suitable etching techniques can be implemented including , but not limited to , plasma - enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( pecvd ) for insulator deposition . for example , a reactive ion etching ( rie ) for etching samples and spinners to coat silicon chips and wafers with lithographic resist may be used . in addition , any etch alignment features for latter processing can be performed at block 110 . fig4 illustrates the vias 205 filled with metal fillings 210 ( e . g ., a superconducting material such as but not limited to aluminum ( al )). at block 115 , the metal fillings 210 are deposited into the vias 205 . in exemplary embodiments , the lengths of the metal fillings 210 are in the range of 50 - 160 microns . the first substrate can be polished to ensure a flush surface and that the metal fillings 210 are exposed . fig5 illustrates the first substrate 200 with metal fillings 210 and a second substrate 220 . in exemplary embodiments , a metal layer 225 can be deposited on the second substrate 220 . a metal layer 201 can also be deposited on the first substrate 200 over the metal fillings 210 . at block 120 , the second substrate 220 is prepared . in exemplary embodiments , the second substrate 220 is selected to reduce dielectric loss tangent at low temperatures . for example , high resistivity si wafers may be implemented . the second substrate 220 is also selected to be a material which can be etched selectively to the superconducting and dielectric material to be used for subsequent qubit circuit fabrication . as described herein metal layers 201 , 225 can be deposited on one or both of the first and second substrates 200 , 200 respectively . the metal layers 201 , 225 are preferably the same material as the metal fillings 210 . fig6 illustrates the first and second substrates 200 , 220 bonded to one another . at block 125 the first and second substrates 200 , 220 are bonded together with a low - temperature anneal . at block 130 , the surface of the first substrate 200 is polished to fully expose the vias . subsequent fabrication , shone at block 135 , includes fabricating a qubit circuit 290 atop the first substrate , along with other resonators and top metallization . as described herein , the metal fillings 210 are positioned with the subsequent qubit circuit 290 in mind , and placed where the modes of the qubit circuit will reside . in this way , the metal fillings 210 conduct the modes and short the modes to the now buried metal layers 201 , 225 , thereby suppressing the modes from leaking to other qubit circuits . fig7 illustrates a flowchart of another method 700 for fabricating a chip surface base onto which qubit circuits can be manufactured . the base provides chip mode isolation and cross - talk reduction through buried metal layers and through - vias . fig8 illustrates a first and second substrate 800 , 820 . at block 705 , the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are prepared for processing . in exemplary embodiments , the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are selected to reduce dielectric loss tangent at low temperatures . the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are also selected to be a material which can be etched selectively to the superconducting and dielectric material to be used for subsequent qubit circuit fabrication . for example , high resistivity si wafers may be implemented . in exemplary embodiments , metal layers 801 , 825 can be deposited on the first and second substrates 800 , 820 respectively . as described herein metal layers 801 , 825 can be deposited on one or both of the first and second substrates 800 , 820 respectively . fig9 illustrates the first and second substrates 800 , 820 bonded to one another . at block 710 the first and second substrates 800 , 820 are bonded together with a low - temperature anneal . fig1 illustrates the substrate 800 with etched vias 805 . at block 715 , the vias 805 are etched into the substrate . any suitable photolithography techniques can be implemented to pattern the vias 805 . in addition , any suitable etching techniques can be implemented including , but not limited to , plasma - enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( pecvd ) for insulator deposition . for example , a reactive ion etching ( rie ) for etching samples and spinners to coat silicon chips and wafers with lithographic resist may be used . in addition , any etch alignment features for latter processing can be performed at block 715 . fig1 illustrates the vias 805 filled with metal fillings 810 ( e . g ., a superconducting material such as but not limited to aluminum and preferably the same material as the metal layers 801 , 825 ). at block 720 , the metal fillings 810 are deposited into the vias 805 . in exemplary embodiments , the lengths of the metal fillings 810 are in the range of 50 - 160 microns . at block 725 , the surface of the first substrate 800 is polished to fully expose the vias . subsequent fabrication includes fabricating a qubit circuit atop the first substrate , along with other resonators and top metallization . as described herein , the metal fillings 810 are positioned with the subsequent qubit circuit in mind , and placed where the modes of the qubit circuit will reside . in this way , the metal fillings 810 conduct the modes and short the modes to the now buried metal layers 801 , 825 , thereby suppressing the odes from leaking to other qubit circuits . it can be appreciated that an implementation of a combination of buried metal layers with connected vias form isolation cage for rf structures on chip surface . the systems and methods described herein have an absence of dielectrics in buried layers which prevent a reduction in coherence times . additional layers can be implemented to allow bonding ( i . e ., adhesion layers ). all metallization procedures described herein are patterned in order to isolate grounds and prevent mode coupling between devices . the methods described herein can include rie end - pointing on al coatings . in addition , the methods can include incorporation of wiring and structures into the bonding substrate wafer . this can be used for wiring between structures and provide access to the rf structures on the primary wafer . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ” and “ the ” are intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . it will be further understood that the terms “ comprises ” and / or “ comprising ,” when used in this specification , specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one more other features , integers , steps , operations , element components , and / or groups thereof . the corresponding structures , materials , acts , and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure , material , or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed . the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application , and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated the flow diagrams depicted herein are just one example . there may be many variations to this diagram or the steps ( or operations ) described therein without departing from the spirit of the invention . for instance , the steps may be performed in a differing order or steps may be added , deleted or modified . all of these variations are considered a part of the claimed invention . while the preferred embodiment to the invention had been described , it will be understood that those skilled in the art , both now and in the future , may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow . these claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Physics'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | 325b09084e3760f0509f2babdcd5c2606397b9152288f01628c287be57bf9a73 | 0.079102 | 0.002258 | 0.099609 | 0.000029 | 0.128906 | 0.007355 |
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