The present invention relates to a novel process for the anionic polymerization of lactam monomers.

The present invention relates to a novel process for the anionic polymerization of lactam monomers.
It is known that anionic polymerization of lactam monomers can produce polyamides.
DE-A-14 20 241 discloses by way of example a process for producing linear polyamide chains via addition of KOH as catalyst and 1,6-bis(N,N-dibutylureido)hexane as activator by what is known as anionic polymerization of lactams.
The activated anionic polymerization of lactams is disclosed in Polyamide, Kunststoff Handbuch [Polyamides, Plastics handbook] vol. 3/4, ISBN 3-446-16486-3, 1998, Carl Hanser Verlag, 49-52, in which the use of Na caprolactamate as catalyst is described in combination with acyl lactam derivatives for producing linear polyamides.
The activated anionic polymerization of lactams is also disclosed in Macromolecules, vol. 32, No. 23 (1999), page 7726, which describes the use of sodium caprolactamate as catalyst in combination with N,N′-hexamethylenebis(2-oxo-1-azepanylcarboxamide) for producing linear polyamides.
Spray polymerization is a known process which has been repeatedly described in the prior art. By way of example, WO 2005/111088 A1 and WO 2006/024368 A1 describe the free-radical spray polymerization of monomers such as acrylic acid, the aim being to produce water-swellable polymer particles ("superabsorbers" or superabsorbent polymers, SAP) or polymeric thickeners. DE 10 2005 048 698 A1 concerns the spray polymerization of isobutene to give polyisobutene (PIB).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,455 "Method of producing nylon powders" describes a process for producing polylactam powders via polymerization of monomer droplets. Here, the reactive mixture is produced in a heated stirred container via mixing of lactam monomer, activator, and catalyst. Said mixture is conveyed by means of a pump and sprayed by means of a nozzle into a reaction vessel, which has an inert gas supply. The gas temperature is selected here in such a way as to cause immediate initiation of the polymerization reaction.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,455, the components are initially mixed batchwise in a stirred container before being sprayed continuously. A consequence of the only partially continuous procedure according to said disclosure, however, is either that the amount of reaction mixture that can be ready for use at any time is only very small or that, if relatively large amounts of mixture are used, there is a distribution of residence times in the feed vessel, and this causes a rise in the conversion of the reaction mixture during the spraying process, making it impossible to achieve a stationary state in the process. In addition, the reaction mixture already begins to polymerize in the feed vessel at the temperatures of 150° C. used, at least at relatively high catalyst concentrations. Molecular weight Mw and molecular weight distribution therefore change over time, as also does viscosity and therefore particle size. The shape and properties of the resultant polyamide powder therefore change over the course of time.
WO 2010/031705 A1 discloses a process for producing polymer particles via free-radical emulsion polymerization. WO 2010/086433 A describes a process for anionic polymerization in an oil phase; however, the product comprises a certain proportion of oil.
Furthermore, the processes described in the prior art often require acceptance of relatively high monomer losses, and therefore relatively low polymer yield.
It is therefore an object to provide a process for the anionic polymerization of lactam monomers which avoids the abovementioned disadvantages. The intention was therefore to provide a process which gives polyamide particles with consistent product properties (such as viscosity and degree of crosslinking); the intention was furthermore that the process provide maximum product yield and a defined particle size and particle size distribution. The level of contamination in the resultant polyamide particles should moreover be minimized.
The abovementioned object was achieved via the process of the invention, as defined in the claims.
The present invention therefore provides a process for producing polyamide particles via anionic polymerization of at least one lactam with the use of at least one catalyst and of at least one activator, where discrete droplets of the reaction mixture are introduced into a surrounding gas phase and are reacted.
For the purposes of this invention, the expression "polyamide particles" refers to approximately spherical particles with an average diameter of from 1 to 2000 μm. The particles can be porous particles and/or can be particles comprising liquid.
In one embodiment of the process of the invention, precisely one lactam monomer is used.
In one embodiment of the process of the invention, precisely one catalyst is used.
In one particularly preferred embodiment, precisely one activator is used.
In the process of the invention, the introduction and mixing of the individual components, and therefore the production of the reactive mixture takes place continuously, in contrast to conventional processes. This leads to stationary-state process conditions with consistent product properties, and to significantly higher operating time for the process.
The process of the invention therefore differs from U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,455 at least in the nature of the production process for the reactive mixture.
In the invention, the lactam monomer (e.g. ε-caprolactam), at least one catalyst, and at least one activator are preferably provided, separately from one another, for use in the form of melt. All of the components are continuously conveyed and mixed.
The catalyst and the activator can also respectively take the form of solution in the lactam monomer; however it is important that catalyst and activator are provided separately from one another for use.
In one embodiment of the invention, the activator is first admixed with the lactam stream, and the catalyst is subsequently incorporated by mixing into said mixture. A reactive mixture is produced only on addition of the catalyst. The mixture is by way of example converted into discrete droplets via spraying through a nozzle or through a dropletizer into a reactor which has a supply of hot inert gas (e.g. spray tower). As the droplets fall within the reactor, the anionic polymerization of the lactam takes place, as therefore also does the production of polyamide. Polyamide particles are obtained at the outlet.
In another embodiment of the invention, the sequence of mixing to incorporate the activator and to incorporate the catalyst can also be reversed.
The feed vessels and feed lines generally have temperature-control, to a temperature from the melting point of the monomer used to the reaction temperature prevailing within the reactor, e.g. in a tower reactor. However, prior to production of the reactive mixture, it is also possible for the monomer feed to be adjusted to temperatures of up to 50 K above the gas temperature within the reactor.
The term "reactive" is used below for a mixture which respectively comprises at least one lactam monomer, at least one catalyst, and at least one activator.
The conversion in the reaction prior to conversion to the droplet form can be adjusted to from 0 to 50%, preferably from 0 to 30%, by way of the residence time between the point of incorporation by mixing, from which the reactive mixture is present, and the nozzle, and also by way of the temperature profile in the residence-time section.
After the process of the invention has ended, conversion does not have to be complete. It is preferable that the conversion at the end of the process of the invention is in the range from 50 to 100%, particularly preferably from 90 to 100%.
An example of a suitable lactam is caprolactam, piperidone, pyrrolidone, laurolactam, or a mixture of these, preferably caprolactam, laurolactam, or a mixture of these, particularly preferably caprolactam or laurolactam. It is moreover also possible to use a mixture of lactam monomer(s) with one or more cyclic lactones, e.g. caprolactone.
In one preferred embodiment of the process of the invention, at least one lactam has been selected from the group comprising caprolactam, laurolactam, or a mixture of these.
Suitable activators are inter alia aliphatic diisocyanates, such as butylene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), octamethylene diisocyanate, decamethylene diisocyanate, undecamethylene diisocyanate, dodecamethylene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, 4,4′-methylenebis(cyclohexyl isocyanate), and also aromatic diisocyanates, such as tolylene diisocyanate, 4,4′-methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate), or polyisocyanates, such as isocyanurates of hexamethylene diisocyanate, Basonat® HI 100 from BASF SE, allophanates, such as ethyl allophanate, or a mixture of these, preferably hexamethylene diisocyanate or isophorone diisocyanate, and particularly preferably hexamethylene diisocyanate. The diisocyanates can be replaced by monoisocyanates.
Compounds alternatively suitable as activators are diacyl halides, such as butylenedioyl chloride, butylenedioyl bromide, hexamethylenedioyl chloride, hexamethylenedioyl bromide, octamethylenedioyl chloride, octamethylenedioyl bromide, decamethylenedioyl chloride, decamethylenedioyl bromide, dodecamethylenedioyl chloride, dodecamethylenedioyl bromide, isophoronedioyl chloride, isophoronedioyl bromide, 4,4′-methylenebis(cyclohexyl)oyl chloride, 4,4′-methylenebis(cyclohexyl)oyl bromide, and also aromatic diacyl halides such as tolylenedioyl chloride, tolylenemethylenedioyl bromide, 4,4′-methylenebis(phenyl)oyl chloride, 4,4′-methylenebis(phenyl)oyl bromide, or a mixture of these, preferably hexamethylenedioyl chloride, hexamethylenedioyl bromide, or a mixture of these, particularly preferably hexamethylenedioyl chloride. The diacyl halides can be replaced by monoacyl halides. Brüggolen® C20 (a solution of HDI in caprolactam) is a preferred activator.
In one preferred embodiment of the process of the invention, at least one activator has been selected from the group comprising hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and isophorone diisocyanate.
In another preferred embodiment of the process of the invention, the activator is lactam-capped HDI.
A suitable catalyst is inter alia sodium caprolactamate, potassium caprolactamate, magnesium bromide caprolactamate, magnesium chloride caprolactamate, magnesium biscaprolactamate, sodium hydrides, sodium metal, sodium hydroxide, sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, sodium propoxide, sodium butoxide, sodium hydride, potassium metal, potassium hydroxide, potassium methoxide, potassium ethoxide, potassium propoxide, potassium butoxide, preferably sodium hydrides, sodium metal, sodium caprolactamate, and particularly preferably sodium caprolactamate (Brüggolen® C 10, a solution made of 18% by weight of sodium caprolactamate in caprolactam).
In one preferred embodiment of the process of the invention, at least one catalyst has been selected from the group comprising sodium hydrides, sodium metal, and sodium caprolactamate.
The molar ratio of lactam to the catalyst can vary widely, but is generally from 1:1 to 10 000:1, preferably from 10:1 to 1000:1, particularly preferably from 50:1 to 300:1.
The molar ratio of activator to the catalyst can vary widely, but is generally from 100:1 to 1:10 000, preferably from 10:1 to 1:100, particularly preferably from 1:1 to 1:10.
The polymerization reaction can also be carried out in the presence of crosslinking agents.
The polymerization can also be carried out in the presence of other additives, such as fillers (preferably inorganic fillers) or polymers (for example soluble polymers acting as thickeners), with average particle diameter smaller than 50 μm. Blowing agents can also be used, examples being chemical or physical blowing agents; blowing agents used here can be those with vaporization temperature below the reaction temperature, or else blowing agents with vaporization temperature above the reaction temperature.
The reaction is preferably carried out in apparatuses which are suitable for the spray-drying process. Apparatuses of this type are described by way of example in K. Masters, Spray Drying Handbook, 5th edition, Longman, 1991, pp. 23-66.
The process of the invention can use one or more spray nozzles. The spray nozzles that can be used are not subject to any restriction. The liquid to be sprayed can be introduced under pressure into these spray nozzles. The comminution of the liquid to be sprayed can be achieved by depressurizing it in the orifice of the nozzle after it has reached a certain minimum velocity. It is also possible to use single-flow nozzles for the purposes of the invention, examples being slot nozzles, or centrifugal chambers (solid-cone nozzles) (for example from Düsen-Schlick GmbH, DE, or from Spraying Systems Deutschland GmbH, DE).
Throughput per spray nozzle is advantageously from 0.1 to 10 m3/h, frequently from 0.5 to 5 m3/h.
The reaction can also be carried out in apparatuses in which the monomer solution can be subjected to free fall in the form of monodisperse droplets. Apparatuses such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,980 are suitable for this purpose.
It is equally possible to produce droplets via laminar breakdown of a jet, as described in Rev. Sci. Instr. 38 (1966) 502.
However, the droplets can also be produced by means of pneumatic drawing dies, rotation, section of a jet, or rapid-response microvalve dies.
In a pneumatic drawing die, a jet of liquid is accelerated together with a gas stream through an aperture. The diameter of the jet of liquid, and thus the diameter of the droplets, can be influenced by way of the amount of gas used.
In the case of droplet production via rotation, the liquid passes through the openings in a rotating disc. The centrifugal force acting on the liquid disentrains droplets of defined size. Preferred apparatuses for rotation dropletization are described by way of example in DE 43 08 842 A1.
However, it is also possible to use a rotating blade to section the emerging jet of liquid into defined segments. Each segment then forms a droplet.
When microvalve dies are used, droplets are provided directly with defined liquid volume.
The average diameter of the discrete droplets produced is generally from 1 to 2000 μm, preferably from 10 to 1000 μm, particularly preferably from 10 to 500 μm, very particularly preferably from 100 to 200 μm, where the diameter of the droplets can be determined by light scattering, and is the volume-average diameter.
A gas can pass through the polymerization reactor. The carrier gas here can be conducted through the reaction space concurrently or countercurrently with respect to the monomer solution droplets that are in free fall, preferably cocurrently, i.e. downward. It is preferable that, after passage of the gas, it is at least to some extent returned to the reaction space, preferably to an extent of at least 50%, particularly preferably to an extent of at least 75%, in the form of a gas circuit. A portion of the carrier gas is usually discharged after each pass, preferably up to 10%, particularly preferably up to 3%, very particularly preferably up to 1%.
The oxygen content of the carrier gas is preferably at most 15% by volume, particularly preferably at most 5% by volume, very particularly preferably at most 0.1% by volume.
The carrier gas preferably comprises, alongside oxygen, an inert gas, particularly preferably nitrogen. The inert gas content of the carrier gas is preferably at least 80% by volume, particularly preferably at least 90% by volume, very particularly preferably at least 95% by volume.
In a further embodiment, a lactam monomer is charged to the carrier gas. The lactam content in the gas phase of the reactor is then preferably at least 50%, particularly preferably at least 75% and very particularly preferably at least 90%, of the saturation concentration at the prevailing gas phase temperature in the reactor tower.
In a further embodiment of the process of the invention, the relative concentration of the lactam monomers in the gas phase of the reactors is from 50% to 100%, preferably from 60% to 100%, particularly preferably from 80% to 100%, of the saturation concentration appropriate to the prevailing gas temperature.
The gas velocity is preferably adjusted in such a way that the flow within the polymerization reactor is oriented flow, where for example there are no convection vortices opposed to the general direction of flow, and this velocity is by way of example from 0.01 to 5 m/s, preferably from 0.02 to 4 m/s, particularly preferably from 0.05 to 3 m/s, very particularly preferably from 0.1 to 2 m/s.
The gas that passes through the reactor is advantageously preheated, prior to the reactor, to the reaction temperature.
The gas inlet temperature, i.e. the temperature at which the gas enters the reaction space, is preferably from 120 to 250° C., particularly preferably from 140 to 200° C., very particularly preferably from 150 to 170° C.
In one preferred embodiment of the process of the invention, the internal temperature of the reactor is from 130 to 170° C.
The reaction can be carried out at superatmospheric pressure or at subatmospheric pressure, preference being given to a superatmospheric pressure of up to 100 mbar relative to ambient pressure.
The reactors can have ancillary heating. The ancillary heating here is adjusted in such a way that the wall temperature is at least 5° C. above the internal temperature of the reactor, and that condensation on the walls of the reactor is reliably avoided.
Posttreatment can also be carried out, e.g. in a fluidized bed. This gives a longer residence time for the reaction mixture within the reactor; conversion can thus generally be further increased.
The abovementioned posttreatment is preferably carried out with flushing by inert gas, particularly preferably nitrogen, at temperatures of from 120-170° C.
The resultant polyamide particles can also be subjected to extraction, e.g. by using aqueous extraction processes. The properties of the polyamide particles can be further improved via contact with water.
The intrinsic viscosity (IV) of the polyamides obtained by the process of the invention is generally from 20 to 1000, preferably from 50 to 800, particularly preferably from 80 to 500. In another preferred embodiment of the process of the invention, crosslinked polyamide particles are obtained.
The present invention therefore further provides polymer particles obtainable by the process of the invention.
The process of the invention can produce, inter alia, crosslinked polyamides derived from any desired polyamides, examples being nylon-3, nylon-4, nylon-5, nylon-6, nylon-7, nylon-8, nylon-9, nylon-10, nylon-11, nylon-12, nylon-13, nylon-14, nylon-15, nylon-16, nylon-17, and nylon-18, and copolyamides, such as nylon-4/6, nylon-5/6, nylon-4/5, nylon-6/7, nylon-6/8, nylon-6/9, nylon-6/10, nylon-6/12, nylon-4/12, nylon-4/10, nylon-5/10, nylon-5/12, preferably nylon-6, nylon-12, nylon-4/6, nylon-5/6, nylon-4/12, nylon-5/12, particularly preferably nylon-6, and nylon-12, in particular nylon-6.
The polyamide particles that can be produced by the process of the invention can be used inter alia for extruded films, or for filaments, standard injection-molding applications, laser sintering, flame spraying, powder coating, rotomolding, organopanels, and/or cosmetics.
The present invention therefore further provides the use, in the abovementioned applications, of the polyamide particles that can be produced by the process of the invention.


A kick-scooter having an electric-motorized drive, a footboard, a rear wheel arranged on the footboard, a steering assembly, and a front wheel connected to the steering assembly to pivot in unison with the steering assembly about an inclined steering assembly axis.

A limited number of affordable and/or available parking spaces that are mostly time-limited, expensive and a good distance from the destination, environmental zones, lack of space in the city centres and overcrowded road systems associated with increasing energy costs make it difficult to be mobile.
This restriction of individual mobility is to be overcome via electric two-wheel vehicles that may be used either as an independent driving concept or may be stowed in the passenger car for last-mile-mobility.
Collapsible and/or folding bicycles and also folding scooters have been known for some time as camping accessories and/or boot accessories.
The electrical motorization of said bicycles etc. has progressed within the scope of an expanded mobility concept.
A purely electrically driven E-bike that does not have a pedal drive is known from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/sciencetech/video-1137633/The-worlds-folding-bike-Impossible-fits-bag.html, wherein the E-bike may be assembled in a multiplicity of collapsing and folding steps from its packed size, in which it may fit into a pack of hand-bag size up to a rucksack size, into its final ready-to-use size and then collapsed back into its packed size.
DE 10 2010 027 997 A1 and http://www.elektrofahrrad24.de/news_vw-e-bike-bilder-zur-studie-12103#.V0FB-Onn36k likewise disclose a purely electrically driven E-Bike that does not have a pedal drive and requires fewer collapsing and folding steps between the packed size and the ready-to-use size but, when folded, this E-bike fills the spare wheel well in a medium-sized vehicle.
The two previously mentioned modes of transportation are disadvantageous owing to the fact that:
(1) they have a limited range, at the end of which they are prevented from continuing, rather than being assisted, owing to a lack of pedal drive,
(2) a tolerable packed size is associated with a time-consuming multiplicity of assembling and collapsing steps,
(3) a tolerable number of assembling and collapsing steps is associated with an unsatisfactory amount of space required by the packed size, and
(4) there is no facility for a muscle power-operated drive, regardless of whether an electric-motorized assist device is provided or not.
With the advent of kickboards, which are equipped with a footboard, a handle bar, which may be folded down onto said footboard, two front wheels and one or more rear wheels. In contrast to bicycles and kick-scooters, a steering angle is achieved not via a pivot movement of a steering assembly, which is connected in a non-rotatable manner to a steerable wheel, about a steering axis that stands upright with respect to a roadway surface, but rather said steering angle is achieved, as in the case with skateboards, via laterally inclining the footboard about a tilt axis that extends parallel with the roadway surface. Small and particularly light mini kick-scooters, which could be collapsed to a minimum size without the use of tools and whose steering assembly may be folded down onto the footboard in a similar manner as to the handle bar of a kickboard, grew in popularity above all in city areas. In addition to a small wheel diameter of a maximum approx. 15 cm or 6″, such mini kick-scooters are characterized by a simple and light construction whilst foregoing a saddle or any other seating facility and also by the facility of being able to reduce their packed-size dimension via folding down a steering assembly that is connected in a non-rotatable manner to the front wheel that may pivot about the steering axis that is perpendicular or inclined with respect to the footboard.
DE 10 2012 204 915 A1 discloses an electric-motorized mini-scooter which, in contrast to the previously mentioned E-bike that is driven purely electrically and without muscle-power, may be driven purely by muscle power in a manner that is usual for a mini kick-scooter. Furthermore, the electric-motorized mini kick-scooter may be moved forward assisted by muscle power in addition to a possible purely electrical drive. A braking function with an energy recovery facility extends the range of the mini kick-scooter, at the end of which said mini kick-scooter may continue with its onward travel assisted via the facility of an unlimited purely manually actuated drive. The steering assembly that is connected by way of a cardan joint to the front wheel that may pivot to and fro about a steering axis that is tilted inclined towards the front is arranged ahead of the front wheel. As a consequence, in the multiple-folded, collapsed state, the steering assembly extends beyond the front wheel which results in an awkward, less compact packed size.
For the sake of completeness, a kickboard that is disclosed in ES 2 508 991 A1 is also mentioned, wherein a footboard, which corresponds in its construction to that of a skateboard, transitions directly and in a seamless manner into a front plate that stands upright on its front face and assumes the function of a handle bar via a grip opening that is provided therein.
DE102013207517 A1 relates to a steering wheel suspension in which the steering wheel is rotatably mounted on a wheel axis that is connected to a steering assist arm and which is installed in a narrow-track vehicle.
US20150321722 describes a folding motor scooter that is provided with a battery. The motor scooter is folded in such a manner that the two wheels lie parallel with one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,801,010B2 discloses a scooter that comprises between its position for use and a position in which it may be stored a moveable structure for the third.
EP2514661 A2 discloses a 3-wheel scooter comprising 2 front wheels. The rear wheel pivots flat between the front wheels when the scooter is collapsed.
DE29612276 U1 relates to a kick-scooter having a folding articulated joint that is blocked via a pivot lever.
DE102012220011A1 discloses an operating device for operating an electric wheel that controls the velocity of the travel in dependence upon environmental parameters.


A lubrication system and wind turbine are provided having one or more input ports in a component and one or more output ports in the component. An expandable lubrication receptacle is connected to the one or more output ports, and the expandable lubrication receptacle is configured for receiving a lubrication medium from the component.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to a lubrication system. More specifically, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to a lubrication system for a wind turbine.
Wind turbines need to be inspected and serviced on a regular basis to keep them operating reliably and effectively. However, damage invariably occurs to the wind turbine either from external effects (e.g., lightning, wind, rain, hail, etc.) or from general wear and tear leading to fatigue of various components.
The bearings and drives of the wind turbine need inspection and service, and typically a technician must climb the tower and enter the nacelle. This is a time consuming and labor intensive activity. In addition, there are limits placed on the number of climbs any one technician can perform per day. This can be particularly problematic when a wind farm has a large number of wind turbines, and each wind turbine needs to be inspected and/or serviced. Further, wind turbines typically must be shut down when personnel are inside the wind turbine, and this reduces the production capability of the wind turbine currently undergoing an inspection. Some wind turbine sites may be difficult to reach, as they may be located off-shore or in isolated and difficult to reach locations.
The bearings and drives may be lubricated with grease, and this grease must be injected into the target component at pre-determined intervals of time. As the grease is injected into the component, some of the grease may be forced out of the component. Grease may also be forced out during use and operation of the wind turbine. Typically, grease is forced out of seals and this excess grease may undesirably accumulate on exterior surfaces of the component, exterior portions of the wind turbine, or on interior portions of the wind turbine, such as floors or walkways. A potentially hazardous working environment could be created by grease that undesirably accumulates on floors, ladders or walkways. Grease that accumulates on exterior portions of the wind turbine can also deter from the aesthetic appearance of the wind turbine.

Lubrication system and wind turbine incorporating same


In one example embodiment, a proxy for a network obtains a traffic flow. The proxy determines whether a security policy in a whitelist for the traffic flow is active. If it is determined that the security policy for the traffic flow is active, the proxy selectively decrypts the traffic flow to produce one or more traffic flow attributes and, based on the one or more traffic flow attributes, determines whether the traffic flow is potentially malicious.

Secure web gateways, or "proxies," have been heavily adopted in recent years as organizations have fought to defend against malware and attacks originating through website traffic. Such proxies can decrypt outbound encrypted (e.g., via Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)) traffic to determine whether the traffic could prompt a malicious event. For example, the proxy may determine whether outbound encrypted traffic will initiate communication with a bad actor.
However, it is estimated that encrypted network traffic grows about 90% every year. Over 50% of websites encrypted traffic in 2017, compared to just 31% in 2016. It is further estimated that 80% of traffic will be encrypted by 2019. Since proxies today are heavily Central Processing Unit (CPU) resource dependent, and as such were not purpose built to handle large amounts of encrypted traffic, proxies have struggled to handle increasing volumes of encrypted traffic. This is because proxies often need to decrypt encrypted traffic in order to determine whether the traffic could cause a malicious event. The compute resources needed to decrypt/encrypt payloads will continue to increase exponentially as the industry moves to 2048 bit keys.
As such, many organizations implement whitelists. Whitelists identify specific outbound web traffic that is permitted to bypass proxy inspection. Such traffic would otherwise be deeply inspected (e.g., decrypted and examined) by a proxy. Administrators use whitelists for many reasons, such as managing system resources, incompatibility of services, privacy requirements, and high volume trusted connections.


The present invention relates to a modified Family 5 cellulase comprising a substitution of an amino acid at position 363 with a non-native alanine, serine or threonine, the position determined from alignment of the modified Family 5 cellulase with amino acids 71-397 of a Trichoderma reesei Cel5A amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 and enzyme mixtures comprising same. Additionally provided is a genetic construct comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding the modified Family 5 cellulase and a genetically modified microbe comprising the genetic construct. The invention also provides a process for producing the modified Family 5 cellulase.

Cellulase enzymes are widely used to improve the appearance and softness of cellulose-containing fabrics. One common application of cellulase enzymes is for treating denim fabrics so as to impart to them a "stone-washed" appearance. Such a process is known in the industry as "bio-stoning". Cellulase enzymes have largely replaced stones for generating the soft, faded denim that is desired by consumers. A second widespread application of cellulase enzymes is to remove cotton fuzz and loose surface fibers in or on the fabric. This process, known as "depilling" or "biopolishing", smooths the surface of the fabric, which in turn improves its softness and appearance. Cellulase treatment also aids in the prevention of subsequent formation of fiber pills that make the garments appear worn.
Fungi such as Trichoderma secrete a number of different cellulase enzymes (also referred to herein as an "enzyme mixture") that are individually known as components. The more prevalent of these enzyme components include cellobiohydrolase (CBH), endoglucanase (EG), and beta-glucosidase enzymes. Cellulase enzyme components typically comprise a cellulose binding domain (CBD) and a catalytic domain. A region between these two domains known as a "linker" serves as a flexible spacer between the CBD and the catalytic domain.
The cellobiohydrolase (CBH) and endoglucanase (EG) components can be further divided into glycosyl hydrolase families (Davies and Henrissat, 1995), some of which have been identified as contributing to improvements in the look and feel of the fabric. Trichoderma reesei is a widely studied and industrially important fungus for the production of cellulases. It produces at least six genetically different cellulases: two cellobiohydrolases (Cel7A and Cel6A, formerly known as CBH I and II, respectively) and at least four endoglucanases (Cel7B, Cel5A, Cel12A and Cel45A, formerly known as EGI, EGII, EGIII and EGV, respectively).
Efforts have been made to improve the properties of cellulase mixtures for textile applications by varying the relative proportions of the cellobiohydrolase and endoglucanase components in a secreted enzyme mixture relative to the natural mixture. For instance, WO 92/17574 discloses an approach that involves adjusting the amounts of EG type components relative to CBH I type components (Cel7A) so that the protein weight ratio is greater than 5:1. Cotton-containing fabrics treated with such compositions exhibited decreased strength loss during textile treatment compared to fabrics containing greater amounts of CBHI type (Cel7A) components.
Improvements in depilling and bio-stoning have also been achieved by elevating the content of single components in the enzyme mixture. U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,767 discloses Trichoderma cellulase preparations enriched in the CBHII cellobiohydrolase (Cel6A) in an otherwise normal background cellulase composition. Such compositions were found to improve the appearance of fabrics in depilling applications. U.S. Pat. No. 5,874,293 discloses cellulase mixtures enriched in EGII endoglucanase (Cel5A) that show improvements in bio-stoning applications. EP 866 165 discloses enzyme compositions enriched in EGII (Cel5A) with improvements in depilling applications.
However, despite these efforts, there is a continuous need for improved cellulases and compositions thereof that are more efficient in fabric treatment and in other fields where cellulases have been traditionally used. In particular, there is a continuous need for more catalytically efficient cellulases to improve process economics. Such a need could be met by improving the specific activity of components in the enzyme mixture. By providing for a more active cellulase, less enzyme may be required, which in turn could significantly reduce processing costs.
Researchers have modified Family 5 cellulases (also referred to herein as "Cel5") by protein engineering with the aim of improving their activity for the efficient conversion of cellulose to glucose during the production of ethanol from biomass. In Acidothermus cellulolyticus Cel5A (SEQ ID NO:13; AcCel5A), a Y245G mutation increased the activity of the enzyme on dilute-acid pretreated yellow poplar sawdust (Baker et al., 2005). Increased activity was mainly driven by a decrease in inhibition by cellobiose.
Variants of Bacillus subtilis (strain BME-15) Cel5A (SEQ ID NO:14; BsCel5A) carrying multiple catalytic domains and CBD mutations exhibited increased specific activity of up to 2.68 fold using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a substrate (Lin et al., 2008). However, the activity level reached by the best mutant was 4.88 U/mg, whereas Trichoderma EGII activity on the same substrate was reported to be 39.9 U/mg (Xiao et al., 2002).
In addition, the effect of genetic modification on the activity of Trichoderma reesei Cel5A (TrCel5A; SEQ ID NO:1) at pH values higher than its optimal range has been examined. Commercially available endoglucanases from Trichoderma reesei have optimum activity in the pH range of 4-6. The goal of such studies is to increase the activity of the enzyme at higher pH values so that it can be utilized in industrial processes that operate at neutral or alkaline conditions.
Mutation N321T in the mature TrCel5A cellulase (without the secretion signal) was identified to increase the optimal pH of the enzyme by 0.6 to 0.8 pH units over the wild-type enzyme via directed evolution (Wang et al., 2005). Site-saturation of this position showed that an N to R substitution resulted in the highest shift in optimum pH with an increase of 1.4 pH units (Qin et al., 2008a). However, the specific activity of this variant was greatly decreased compared to wild-type. After subsequent error-prone PCR and DNA shuffling steps, a variant Q139R/L218H/W276R/N342T (equivalent to Q118R/L197H/W255R/N321T in SEQ ID:1) was isolated with an optimal pH increase of 1.4 units without significant loss in specific activity (Qin et al., 2008b).
Studies on a Family 5 alkalophilic cellulase NK1 from Bacillus cellulosilyticus (SEQ ID NO:15; BcNK1) (formerly known as Bacillus sp. N-4) showed that the C-terminal portion of the catalytic domain is critical for the alkalophilicity of enzyme, especially residues S287 and A296 (Nakamura et al., 1991; Park et al., 1993). Mutating these residues for the equivalent residues in Bacillus subtilis neutral cellulase (BSC) made the Bacillus cellulosilyticus NK1 pH profile very similar to the Bacillus subtilis pH profile. Among these two mutations, S287N caused a greater effect on the pH profile than A296S.

Modified family 5 cellulases and uses thereof


A tool for simultaneously cleaning inside and outside surfaces surrounding an open end portion of a pipe includes a cleaning arm and a pipe-supporting arm mounted in a head for adjustment of the transverse spacing therebetween. Support portions on the cleaning arm have confronting faces spaced transversely from one another and defining a rearwardly extending, forwardly open slot adapted for the receipt of the wall of a pipe supported on the pipe-supporting arm, and a pipe-cleaning element is disposed on each of the confronting faces of the support portions. Relative rotation of the mounting head and a pipe so positioned will cause the cleaning elements to effect simultaneous cleaning of the surrounding inside and outside surfaces of the pipe end portion.

It is well known in the art that, during installation, end portions of pipes, tubing, and like conduits, such as are usually made of copper, aluminum or plastic and are used for the containment of electrical wires or for carrying water, heating or cooling gases, and other fluids, must be cleaned on the inside and outside so as to facilitate the introduction of wires and to ensure sound assembly with fittings, couplings, and the like. Surfaces that are sharp, rough, contaminated or oxidized can inhibit soldering, brazing, and bonding, resulting in joints that are unsound and porous; slivers of material, burrs and sharp edges can also injure workers and can damage wire used in constructing an electrical installation.
A pipe cleaning system that is capable of simultaneously cleaning the interior and exterior of the open end portion of a copper pipe is disclosed in Knowles U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,704,964 and 6,745,426. Additional United States patents of interest in the field include Hall U.S. Pat. No. 2,455,762, Rosenboom U.S. Pat. No. 2,537,916, Von Arx U.S. Pat. No. 2,838,778, Mills U.S. Pat. No. 3,076,988, McCartney U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,783, Smith U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,301, Singer U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,770, Toelke U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,003, True U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,448, Miner U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,444, Carter U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,696, Carter U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,370, Carter U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,022 and Tope U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,425.
Despite the activity in the art indicated by the foregoing, the need remains for a tool that is effective for simultaneously cleaning inside and outside surfaces surrounding an open end portion of pipes and other tubular conduits of various sizes throughout a range of diameters.


Setting packet queue priority is disclosed. A rate associated with a packet queue is measured. The rate is compared to a quality of service metric. A priority is assigned to the packet queue based at least in part on the comparison between the rate and the quality of service metric. The quality of service metric may be a committed information rate and/or a peak information rate.

Current network switching devices typically flow all data traffic through. However, in the case when a particular class of traffic exceeds a prescribed rate or threshold, e.g., as defined by a quality of service guarantee, the network switches typically discard or stop traffic in excess of the prescribed rate. This approach to controlling network traffic flow is sometimes referred to as "policing" the packet flow. Ideally, network service providers should offer customers different quality of service levels for network traffic including a commitment to allowing traffic up to a peak rate and/or committing to a specific rate without ever dropping traffic. In order to achieve these types of different quality of service levels, traffic flows must be properly prioritized through a network switching device.


The disclosure provides a shock absorbing layer comprised of one or more shock absorbing cells, where a shock absorbing cell is comprised of a cell interior volume containing a plurality of hydrogel particles and a free volume, and where the cell interior volume is surrounded by a containing layer. The containing layer has a permeability such that the hydrogel particles when swollen remain at least partially within the cell interior volume when subjected to a design shock pressure wave, allowing for force relaxation through hydrogel compression response. Additionally, the permeability allows for the flow of exuded free water, further dissipating wave energy. In an embodiment, a plurality of shock absorbing cells is combined with a penetration resistant material to mitigate the transmitted shock wave generated by an elastic precursor wave in the penetration resistant material.

Impact processes are encountered when bodies are subjected to rapid impulsive loading, where the duration of application is short compared to the time for the body to respond inertially. The inertial responses are stress pulses propagating through the body to communicate the presence of loads to interior points. Commonly, such loadings are the result of ballistic impact or explosion.
Armors for the protection of personnel and equipment against impact processes are an area of significant effort. Armors are often multi-layer protective systems, with distinct protective characteristics arising as a result of individual material characteristics and resulting interfaces. In a typical armor system, the kinetic energy of an incoming projectile or blast wave is dissipated through deformation or destruction of a front plate with backing plates providing for subsequent dissipation of kinetic energy that may transfer from or pass through the front plate without absorption. Typically, if an impact drives a material beyond its elastic strength, then an elastic wave behaving as a shock wave propagates away from the impact zone with an amplitude determined by the largest elastic stress that can be supported by the medium. Behind this wave there propagates a generally irreversible deformation wave that carries the material to the ultimate stress state that exists on the impact plane. The energy of the elastic precursor wave is generally much less than the subsequent deformation wave, however when transmitted and coupled to a human body, the elastic precursor wave can result in significant trauma.
As an armor component, hydrogels have been investigated as energy absorbing components. Hydrogels have been utilized in various armors and blast protections both as primary absorption mechanisms and as backing layers. Hydrogels generally are cross-linked polymer networks having hydrophilic properties. When immersed in water, water diffuses into the hydrogel network due to osmotic pressure differences. The extent of diffusion is limited by the elastic stress caused by the stretching polymer chains and by any other stresses that act on the polymer phase. The network is comprised of large macromolecular chains and the solvent phases is of low molecular weight, so that the liquid phase when unconstrained can be highly mobile compared to the network. In a constrained state, where both the polymer and the liquid are enclosed by a contacting boundary, the polymer network and the solvent phase tend to act in conjunction as an incompressible fluid.
In some applications, the tendency to incompressibility has been exploited for pressure wave absorption by constraining a swollen hydrogel within a porous layer, and relying on frictional flow between the hydrogel and the porous layer in order to dissipate compression energy. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,912 to Bumbarger, issued Mar. 23, 1999. These systems act to confine the hydrogel within a porous surrounding layer until the porous surrounding layer becomes subject to significant deformation by, for example, the arrival of a deformation wave at the back-side of an armor fronting plate. The deformation of the porous surrounding layer fractures the confined hydrogel and produces a flow of the fractured hydrogel through the pores of the surrounding layer. The fracture energy and the frictional flow of the highly viscous hydrogel through the pores dissipate some portion of the energy delivered by the arrival of the deformation wave, however the energy of the preceding elastic precursor wave, which produces insignificant deformation, largely passes through the confined hydrogel without attenuation. In the case of a personal armor system, this energy is coupled to the body of the wearer. In a similar application, confined hydrogels are utilized for isolation of blasts arising from spontaneous gas explosions in a mining environment. See Luo et al, "Experimental Study and Property Analysis of Seal-filling Hydrogel Material for Hermetic Wall in Coal Mine," Journal of Wuhan University of Technology-Mater. Sci. Ed. 25 (2010). In the latter application, the swollen hydrogel acts to absorb blast energy through elastic deformation of the polymer network. This mechanism can marginally operate in the absence of a deformation wave solely through elastic stretching, however the confined nature of the swollen hydrogel maintains a constant percentage of free water in the hydrogel, and eliminates any subsequent dissipation through the frictional flow of exuded free water.
It is known that swollen hydrogel particles under an unbounded compression undergo a viscoelastic deformation which acts to drive at least some free water from the swollen hydrogel polymer network. High-speed compressions indicate that the viscoelastic nature and frictional flow between the free water and the polymer network can produce significant force relaxation. See e.g., Wang et al., "High-speed compression of single alginate microspheres", Chemical Engineering Science 60 (2005). Significant yielding and deformations up to 50% may occur prior to failure of the swollen hydrogel particle. Generally speaking, the friction coefficient of the swollen polymer network and the free water is proportional to the ratio of the viscosity of the free water and the average mesh size of the gel. For permanently cross-linked polymer networks, the friction can be enormous because the polymer network is a mesh of molecular size. See e.g., Doi et al., "Friction Coefficient and Structural Transition in a Poly(acrylamide) Gel", Langmuir 21 (2005). As a result, if a swollen hydrogel could be arranged such that frictional flow between free water and the hydrogel network was allowed in an unconstrained flow environment, these frictional losses could be utilized for effective absorption of a shock pressure, such as that arising from a transmitted shock wave. Further, if the exuded free water were allowed to accrue additional energy absorption through subsequent frictional flow, shock pressures could be further mitigated.
Accordingly, it is an object of this disclosure to provide a shock absorbing layer utilizing a swollen hydrogel in a manner that more effectively mitigates shock wave compression energy, so that the coupling of a shock wave compression to the body of the wearer is further reduced.
Further, it is an object of this disclosure to provide a shock absorbing layer utilizing a swollen hydrogel in a manner allowing absorption of shock pressures through frictional flow between free water and the hydrogel network.
Further, it is an object of this disclosure to provide a shock absorbing layer utilizing a swollen hydrogel in a manner that provides for additional energy absorption through subsequent frictional flow of free water exuded as a result of shock pressure.
Further, it is an object of this disclosure to provide a shock absorbing layer incorporating a plurality of contained hydrogel volumes, so that exuded free water may act to disperse shock pressure energy in directions substantially dissimilar to the prevailing shock pressure wave.
Further, it is an object of this disclosure to provide a shock absorbing layer incorporating a plurality of contained hydrogel volumes in mechanical communication and having increasing free volume percentages as displacement from the shock pressure source increases, in order to accommodate flow of exuded free water and increase frictional flow losses.
Further, it an object of this disclosure to provide a shock absorbing layer incorporating a flexible cooling layer comprised of one or more cooling channels in fluid communication with an ambient environment, so that cooling may be provided to a wearer in a high temperature environment.
These and other objects, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the accompanying description and claims.

The United States of America as represented by the Department of Energy


Various implementations described herein refer to an integrated circuit having a memory structure with a two-bitcell layout and a four cell poly pitch. The two-bitcell layout includes a first bitcell and a second bitcell with structural contours that are joined together in a coupling arrangement. The first bitcell and the second bitcell have multiple transistors that are arranged to store data during write operations and allow access of data during read operations.

This section is intended to provide information relevant to understanding various technologies described herein. As the section's title implies, this is a discussion of related art that should in no way imply that it is prior art. Generally, related art may or may not be considered prior art. It should therefore be understood that any statement in this section should be read in this light, and not as any admission of prior art.
In modern circuitry, current 2-port bitcells used in industry are traditionally 2-CPP (cell poly pitch) that needs to fit both read and write wordlines (WLs) for 2-port bitcell in the 2-CPP pitch. As device geometries are scaled to smaller nodes, the metal resistances typically increase exponentially. The large metal resistance may result in large wordline (WL) resistance-capacitance (RC) and slows down the 2-port memory performance.
In reference to the negative impact on area, the 2-CPP bitcell layout may result in an aspect-ratio that is not favorable at the system-on-chip (SoC) for the memory-macro sizes that are typically used for 2-port memories (less words and more bits). At the SoC level, additional area may be lost around memory that cannot be used in SoC placement or routing.
In reference to the negative impact on performance/timing, the 2-CPP bitcell layout may result in a long wordline that causes a larger resistance and capacitance on the wordline-net, which degrades the performance/access-time of the memory-macro.

Memory structure with multi-cell poly pitch


To hide a difference in call reference mode at a protocol control section from a basic call control section which provides an added service based on a plural call reference mode, a distributing section 21 of a virtual terminal control device 20 determines whether an event (signal) of a call reference correspondence from a basic call control section 10 is connectable or not to a terminal 40 via a protocol control section 30, and delivers the signal to an actual terminal processing section 22 or a virtual terminal processing section 23. In response to receipt of signals from the basic call control section, the protocol control section and the virtual terminal processing section, the actual terminal processing section determines and executes an operation per state while shifting the state, and transfers the signal to the protocol control section and the basic call control section while converting a call reference of the signal. The virtual terminal processing section determines and executes an operation depending on a state of the actual terminal processing section relative to the signal from the basic call control section which can not be processed at the protocol control section, and sends the signal to the basic call control section and the actual terminal processing section so as to cause the basic call control section to judge as if the signal is directly sent from the actual terminal.

The present invention relates to a virtual terminal control device for a switching system, and more specifically, to a virtual terminal control device for a switching system that hides a difference in call reference mode at a protocol control section from a basic call control section in a call processing section of the switching system. In the call processing section of the switching system, the protocol control section performs a process for each of protocols, where the number of simultaneously connectable call references differs depending on terminals to be employed. The basic call control section performs a basic call connecting process relative to the terminal and performs an added service control through a plurality of call references attendant upon the call connecting process. These control sections form a hierarchical structure and mutually send and receive signals, each of which is an event of a call reference dependence to achieve the call processing.
In the switching system, the call processing section performs the call connecting process. The added service process is of a hierarchical structure having a protocol control section performing a protocol process corresponding to a functional classification of employed terminals. Further, a basic call control section performs a basic call connecting process relative to a particular one of the terminals and further performs an added service control attendant upon the basic call connecting process. Based on the protocol, a primitive prescribed is used as an interface between the hierarchies. However, in the conventional call processing section, the function of the basic call control section and the function of the protocol control section are not clearly separated relative to a plurality of the protocol classifications. Thus, the process peculiar to the protocol also exists in the basic call control section.
In the foregoing conventional call processing section of the switching system, the basic call control section performs the process peculiar to the protocol. This raises a problem in that the basic control section must perform the process per protocol even when offering an additional service on the basic call control section. For solving this problem, a technique has been proposed where a virtual protocol control section is provided between the basic call control section and the protocol control section (see patent application Ser. No. 5-126676). The virtual protocol control section includes normalized data storing means for storing normalized data for normalizing a procedure from the protocol control section to a virtual protocol primitive as being a common primitive, normalized data managing means for recording or erasing the normalized data relative to the normalized data storing means, and normalized data selecting and executing means for normalizing the procedure from the protocol control section to the virtual protocol primitive based on the normalized data selected from the normalized data storing means. With this arrangement, the basic call control section controls the call connecting process and the added service process based on the normalized procedure from the virtual protocol control section so that the difference in procedure between the protocols can be hidden from the basic call control section.
On the other hand, the additional or added services offered by the switching system are classified as follows in view of handling the call:
(a) An added service, such as a recording service, which is realized on a single call (call reference). For example, an abbreviated dialing service in which a designated number is recorded as an abbreviated number, and making a call to the designated number is achieved by input of the abbreviated number. An absent-subscriber service in which a designated guide number is recorded due to absence of a user, and when a call is made to the user, a message is provided to a caller based on the recorded guide number.
(b) Another added service, which is realized when a multi-call (call references) is handled on the same terminal. For example, a transfer service in which a user of his busy terminal transfers his call to another number terminal. An in-communication incoming call notifying service in which an incoming call to a busy terminal is notified and switched.
Further, the terminals (and protocols) are also classified into unintelligent one capable of processing only one call and intelligent one capable of processing a multi-calls.
In the foregoing system having the virtual protocol control section between the basic call control section and the protocol control section, the number of call references relative to the same terminal in the protocol control is not normalized in the virtual protocol control section. Accordingly, in order to provide the added service in the plural call discrimination mode, the basic call control section is required to process separately depending on whether the number of processable call references at the terminal (protocol) is single or plural. Thus, it is difficult to realize all the added services without considering the protocol. Specifically, when the basic call control section is set to provide the added service in the plural call reference mode for the intelligent terminal (intelligent protocol control section), such an added service control process can not be directly applied to the unintelligent terminal (unintelligent protocol control section) in the single call reference mode, such as the analog terminal.

Virtual terminal control device for switching system


Outer and inner inflatable members and a motor assembly including a fan are disposed on a base member. Air provided under pressure by the motor assembly including the fan passes through vents in the base member to inflate the inflatable members. Flakes are disposed in the space between the inflatable members. One vent, larger than the others, provides for the flakes to be lifted upwardly from the base member by the pressurized air. At least another vent in the base member provides for a movement of the flakes by the pressurized air in an annular direction in the space between the inflatable members. A permeable cap disposed on the outer inflatable member limits the pressure in the outer and inner inflatable members to a particular value.

Visual displays are provided on a seasonal basis to celebrate the season. For example, visual displays may be disposed in a family home during the Christmas season to enhance the appearance of the season in the home and to celebrate the season. Although popular, the visual displays now in use have a limited appeal. It would be desirable to provide a visual display which has an advanced aesthetic and sophistication and which represents a particular season (e.g., Christmas) on a more fulfilling basis than the visual displays of the prior art.

Visual display and method of providing a visual display


A pneumatic power tool having a rotary driven output spindle defining an axis, an air motor having an output shaft axially aligned with the output spindle, transmission means connecting the output shaft and the spindle, and control means for operating the air motor. Incorporated in the transmission means is a two speed gear system to provide a first drive having a lower torque output and a second gear reduced having a higher torque output and a lower rotary speed output relative to the first drive. The two speed gear system also includes a spindle assembly which is axially translatable, biasing means for biasing the spindle assembly to the first drive position, and a collar rotatable about the axis and including a follower cooperative between the spindle assembly and the collar to effect axial movement of the spindle assembly between the first and second drive positions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pneumatic power tools and more particularly to a two speed gear system for power drills capable for use both in drilling and countersinking operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
In aircraft assembly thousands of rivets are installed to hold the skin to the substructure of the aircraft. Surface finishes in the holes and the countersink surfaces for these rivets are critically important and are closely inspected. Experience has shown that tool speed and torque affect the surface tolerances.
Often one tool is used for the relatively high speed drilling of holes and a second tool is used for the relatively low speed high torque countersinking of the drilled holes.
In the aircraft industry, pneumatic-tools, driven by air motors powered by compressed air are often used. The air motors are physically small and light for the high torque and power that it delivers. The air motor starts almost instantly and is inherently safe as compared to electric motors.
In a majority of pneumatic tools spring-loaded torque clutches are used. Units are available in which the driving bit is stopped by the stall torque principle, the magnitude of the torque that stalls the motor being governed by the air pressure setting.
Two systems of torque control are available for pneumatic tools. The first is the minimum torque indication system where the normal stalled torque motors are used in a conventional manner, but with a visual indication to the operator that the minimum torque value required has been achieved.
The second is a torque controlled motor system with visual indication. This system employs standard motors, each fitted with a control top. The torque reaction through the motor body is used to initiate an air signal which passes to the control top and shuts off the air to the motor. The movement of the control top shuttle valve actuates a relay which switches on an indicator light.
There is a need for a single pneumatic tool which is capable of both drilling and countersinking holes. Such pneumatic device must be capable of drilling the holes at high speed and then countersinking the holes at relatively low speed, but high torque.
The present invention provides a single power tool having one speed for drilling and another for countersinking with increased torque for countersinking by incorporating two planetary gear systems. The first planetary system transmits power to the drill. Upon completion of the hole drilling cycle, the second planetary system is cammed into mesh, resulting in a more desirable, reduced working speed and increased torque to perform the countersinking operation.


A transfer device includes an image carrier that carries a toner image; a nip forming member that forms a transfer nip between the nip forming member and the image carrier by contacting with a front surface of the image carrier; and a transfer bias applying unit that applies a transfer bias, thereby transferring the toner image carried on the image carrier to a recording material at a position of the transfer nip. The transfer bias applying unit applies the transfer bias in which an AC component and a DC component are superimposed and in which a peak-to-peak voltage of the AC component is larger than 6 times an absolute value of a voltage of the DC component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transfer device for and a transfer method of transferring a toner image carried on a surface of an image carrier to a recording sheet. The present invention relates further to an image forming apparatus using the transfer device and the transfer method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-267486 discloses an image forming apparatus of this kind. This image forming apparatus forms a toner image on a surface of a drum-shaped photosensitive element by a known electrophotography process. An endless intermediate transfer belt serving as an image carrier is brought into contact with the photosensitive element, whereby a primary transfer nip is formed. In the primary transfer nip, the toner image on the photosensitive element is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt. A secondary transfer roller serving as a nip forming member is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer belt, whereby a secondary transfer nip is formed. Inside a loop of the intermediate transfer belt, a secondary-transfer counter roller is disposed such that the intermediate transfer belt is interposed between the secondary-transfer counter roller and the secondary transfer roller. The secondary-transfer counter roller disposed inside the loop is grounded, while the secondary transfer roller disposed outside the loop is applied with a secondary transfer bias. This creates a secondary transfer electric field between the secondary-transfer counter roller and the secondary transfer roller, which moves electrostatically the toner image from the secondary-transfer counter roller side to the secondary transfer roller side. Then, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt is secondarily transferred to a recording sheet which is fed into the secondary transfer nip at a timing synchronized with a transfer operation of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt by the action of the secondary transfer electric field.
With this configuration, if a sheet, such as a Japanese sheet having a high degree of surface roughness is used as the recording sheet, a light-and-shade pattern according to the surface roughness is easily generated in an image. This light-and-shade pattern is due to the insufficient amount of toner transferred to recessed portions which brings lower image densities in the recessed portions of the sheet surface than protruding portions. For this reason, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-267486, as the secondary transfer bias, a bias composed only of a DC voltage is not used but a superimposed bias in which a DC voltage is superimposed on an AC voltage is applied. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-267486 reports a test result presenting that applying such a secondary transfer bias (superimposed bias) suppresses occurrence of a light-and-shade pattern as compared with a case of using a secondary transfer bias composed only of a DC voltage. Further, the same document also reports another test result. The test result implies that, as a peak-to-peak voltage Vpp of an AC component of the secondary transfer bias increases from a near zero voltage, image densities of recessed portions on the surface of a recording sheet increase gradually, whereas if the value of the Vpp is larger than twice the DC voltage, as the Vpp increases, the image densities of the recessed portions decrease. According to this test result, the densities of the recessed portions become the highest by adopting the value of the peak-to-peak voltage Vpp at a timing that is immediately before a change from a tendency to increase the image densities of the recessed portions on the surface of the recording sheet to a tendency to decreases the image densities of the recessed portions in a process of gradually increasing the peak-to-peak voltage Vpp, that is, the value of the Vpp which is about twice the DC voltage is used.
However, the inventors of the present invention have found through the tests that, in a case of focusing only on transferring a sufficient amount of toner into the recessed portions of the surface of the recording sheet, that is, in a case of applying the value of the Vpp which is about twice the DC voltage, a good result is not obtained. That is, it is found that in order to obtain a sufficient image density in the recessed portions, the value of the Vpp must be more than that value. Specifically, according to the tests of the inventors of the present invention, unlike the test results disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-267486, even when the value of the Vpp was larger than twice the DC voltage, the image densities of the recessed portions increased as the value of the Vpp increased. However, when the value of the Vpp was made relatively large, in a particularly deep recessed portion of the recessed portions, a discharge occurred between the bottom of the particularly deep recessed portion and the intermediate transfer belt, resulting in white dots, dot-shaped lacks, in the image. If a number of white dots are generated and the white dots are connected long, it may appear the image densities of the recessed portions fall significantly short of the mark. However, a shortage in the image densities and the white dots are completely different phenomena. Specifically, the shortage in the image densities is caused when an insufficient amount of toner is transferred from the intermediate transfer belt or the like into the recessed portions of the surface the recording sheet, whereas the white dotes are generated when the toner oppositely charged due to the discharge cannot be transferred into the recessed portions. Even in an image in which a large number of white dots were generated so that it appeared as if a significant storage in the image densities of the recessed portions was caused, a higher image density than that obtainable in a case that the Vpp was set at twice the DC voltage was obtained in a relatively shallow recessed portion of the recessed portions. In other words, it is considered that even in the tests disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-267486, if the white dots and the shortage in the image densities are precisely distinguished, similarly to the tests conducted by the inventors of the present invention, even in a high potential area where the potential is larger than twice the DC voltage, the image densities increase as the value of the Vpp increases. Further, according to the tests of the inventors of the present invention, in order to obtain allowable levels of image densities at the recessed portions, the value of the Vpp needs to be four times larger than the DC voltage.
Moreover, it has also been found that, for example, even when the value of the Vpp is made larger than four times the DC voltage, if a sheet having a relatively large thickness or a relatively high degree of surface roughness is used as the recording sheet, sufficient image densities may not be obtained at the recessed portions on the surface of the recording sheet.
For this reason, the inventors of the present invention conducted tests using recording sheets having a large thickness and a high degree of surface roughness, and, as a result, found that, in order to obtain sufficient image densities at the recessed portions of the surface of the recording sheet, the value of the Vpp should be made larger than six times the DC voltage.
Until now, the image forming apparatus having a configuration in which the toner image is transferred to the recording sheet at the secondary transfer nip has been described. However, even in a configuration in which a toner image is transferred from a photosensitive element to a recording sheet at a transfer nip formed by contact of the photosensitive element and a transfer roller or the like, the same problems may occur.

Transfer device, image forming apparatus, and transfer method


The leadframe of this invention includes a die attach pad and leads with lead tips in the vicinity of the pad. Alternate lead tips have been bent upwards into one plane and the remaining lead tips are bent downwards into a different plane. This design enables a denser packing of lead tips without fear of electrical shorts than the conventional design where the lead tips are in the same plane.

This invention relates in general to semiconductor packaging and in particular to a leadframe with multi-tier leads.
With the development of very large scale integration technology, the size of the die used in semiconductor packages is continually being reduced. Even though the size of the die is reduced, it will be desirable to retain the capability of providing a large number of pins connected to each side of the die. In semiconductor packages employing leadframes, the die is supported by a die attach pad which forms a portion of the leadframe. The leadframe also has leads with lead tips close to the die for connecting selected points on the die to pins which extend outside the package.
The lead tips are typically close to the die so that bonding wires with lengths within an optimal range may be used for bonding the lead tips to the die. After wire bonding, the die, the die attach pad, the bonding wires and the lead tips are all enclosed by a molding material such as by plastic in an injection molding process. When the size of the die is reduced, and if the dimensions of the leadframe used for supporting the die remains the same, the edges of the die would be further apart from the lead tips. In such event, longer bonding wires would be required to bond the die to the lead tips.
The use of bonding wires whose lengths are longer than the optimal is undesirable since this would increase the stress at the portions of the wire where it is bonded to the die and to the lead tip, thereby increasing the probability of a faulty wire bonding connection. The alternative is to modify the leadframe by making the die attach pad smaller and by bringing the lead tips further inward towards the die so that bonding wires of optimal length can again be used to bond the die to the lead tips. In such case, the current state of the art leadframe design imposes a limit as to how close the lead tips can be brought towards the center of the die attach pad without having to reduce the number of leads provided for each side of the die as explained below.
The leadframe is made as follows. A flat sheet of metal is stamped to cut out portions of the sheet so that the portions remaining form the leadframe. In order to make individual leads, an essentially parallel array of thin slices of the sheet are cut out in the stamping process so that the long finger-shaped portions remaining form the leads. Alternatively, these slices can be removed in an etching process. In the current leadframe design, all the lead tips are in the same plane. A minimum spacing must be maintained between the lead tips to avoid electrical shorts.
In the current state of the art in stamping or etching technology, there are certain limits as to how small the width of the leads and as to how small the spaces between the leads can be. Therefore if the number of leads that are to be connected to each side of the die by wire bonds is to remain the same, the "design width" of spaces required between the lead tips in the current state of stamping or etching technology limits how close the leads can get to the die and the center of the die attach pad. This forces a designer to choose between reducing the number of leads that can be connected to each side of a die and using bonding wires that are longer than optimal. Either alternative is undesirable.
It is therefore desirable to provide a new leadframe system in which the above-described difficulties are alleviated.


An acoustic treatment panel includes, from the inside to the outside, a reflective layer (50), at least one alveolar structure (52), and at least one acoustically resistive structure (54) that forms an aerodynamic surface, whereby the panel is connected at one edge to at least one second panel (46), characterized in that it includes, at the edge overlapping with the at least one second panel, a reinforcement (60) that is inserted between the reflective layer (50) and the acoustically resistive structure (54) forming the aerodynamic surface, whereby the reinforcement (60) ensures the uptake of forces between the layer (50) and the structure (54).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an acoustic treatment panel that integrates a reinforcement for ensuring a connection with at least one other panel, aimed at reducing the untreated surface on the acoustic plane of an air intake of a nacelle.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, a nacelle 10 comprises at least one pipe 12, a peripheral wall 14, and, at the front, an air intake that is delimited by a lip 16 that connects the pipe 12 and the peripheral wall 14.
In a known manner, the pipe 12 comprises a coating or panel 18 for acoustic treatment comprising, from the inside to the outside, a reflective layer 20, at least one alveolar structure 22, and at least one acoustically resistive structure 24 that forms the aerodynamic surface of the pipe 12. Advantageously, the lip 16 can also comprise a coating for acoustic treatment.
To reinforce the structure of the nacelle, a front frame 26 connects the pipe 12 and the peripheral wall 14, whereby the lip 16 is made integral with said front frame 26.
According to one embodiment, to ensure the connection between the panel that forms the lip 16 and the panel that forms the peripheral wall 14, the edges of said panels are flattened and then secured by any suitable means against a flange 28 of the front frame 26.
According to an embodiment that is illustrated in details in FIG. 2, at the junction zone of the pipe 12 and the lip 16, the front frame 26 comprises a flange 30 against which the wall forming the lip 16 is flattened. At this level, the reflective layer 20 and the acoustically resistive structure 24 have dimensions that are larger than those of the alveolar structure 22 so as to be convergent and then flattened against one another and secured against the inside surface of the lip that extends beyond the flange 30. In addition, a reinforcement 32 is provided to ensure the connection between, on the one hand, the two coupled layers 22 and 24, and, on the other hand, the front frame.
This configuration is not satisfactory for the following reasons:
Since the forces that pass through the reflective layer and through the acoustically resistive structure are not balanced, this creates a problem of unfolding at the junction zone with the lip and of delamination, whereby the different parts of the coating are made of composite materials for reasons of increasing weight.
According to another drawback, the terminal zone of the acoustic coating at which the reflective layer and the acoustically resistive structure are convergent is not treated on the acoustic plane. Consequently, this zone is combined with the superposition zones, on the one hand, of the lip and the front frame, and, on the other hand, of the lip and two coupled layers 22 and 24; this leads to a zone LO that is not treated on the important acoustic level.

Acoustic treatment panel with integral connecting reinforcement


A connector is described, of the type that has pegs for insertion in holes of a circuit board to securely hold the connector to the board, wherein the pegs can be easily installed, and they assure secure holding despite variations in circuit board thickness and moderate tolerances in the diameters of the circuit board holes. Each of the pegs (41, FIG. 4 ) has a peg body (60) with an axis (62), and a plurality of ribs (71-73) projecting radially outwardly from the periphery of the body. The pegs are constructed of material of lower hardness than the material of the circuit board, so the interference fit between the pegs and circuit board results in flattening of the tips of the ribs and/or shaving of the tips of the ribs. Each peg has a slot (66) extending from the periphery of the peg body to near the axis of the peg body, and a pair of the ribs lie on opposite sides of the slot, so radially-inward pressure on the ribs causes the slot to close slightly and allow the ribs to move radially inwardly. The slots of adjacent pegs are oriented so they are turned 90.degree. from each other to reduce the insertion force and the possibility of peg breakage.

One type of connector designed to mount on a circuit board, includes a group of downwardly-depending pegs which fit into holes drilled into the circuit board. When the pegs have been fully inserted through the top surface of the circuit board and project through the bottom surface, the bottom of the pegs are heat deformed into a mushroom shape to trap the pegs in the board and thereby hold the connector in place during subsequent soldering of connector contacts to plated-through holes of the board and afterwards. Such heat-staked pegs involve time-consuming operations in melting the bottoms of the peg, and can be unreliable because the holding power of the pegs depends on the thickness of the circuit board, and the pressure and temperature applied to the pegs during their deformation. A peg arrangement which enables secure holding of a connector to a circuit board or other board-like device, which avoided the need for heat staking the pegs while assuring reliable holddown of the connector, would be of considerable value.


The invention consists of a bunker to visually hide and structurally protect a cathodic protection rectifier located in an open field or urban areas where there is high incidence of vandalism. The bunker consists of a mobile element which contains a rectifier and an underground cavity structure. Besides hiding and protecting the rectifier from vandalism, the only part of this apparatus that is normally visible is a circular plaque at ground level, with a waterproof seal. Occasionally the rectifier is removed for maintenance and diagnostic purposes. In order to extract the mobile element it is necessary, but not enough, to have a magnetic or electromagnetic anchor with a great load capacity. The mobile element may only be extracted when the bolt lock located at the base of the cylinder is wirelessly activated. The cavity structure has radial plates calculated to dissipate the heat produced through the operation of the rectifier. All electric connections are hidden and embedded in concrete. Apparatus are included for measuring the electric parameters relevant to the cathodic protection and a major vibration sensor for an alarm with the possibility of being connected to networks of control systems and data collecting or cellular or satellite networks.

Cathodic protection is the most widely accepted technology in the world for the protection from corrosion of pipelines, wells, tanks and other structures which are buried or submerged in corrosive electrolytes. There are national and international normative bodies which require production, storage and transportation operators of hydrocarbons through pipelines to apply systems which control exterior and interior corrosion, including predominantly cathodic protection.
An act of vandalism of cathodic protection rectifiers can cause irreparable damage which may lead to the total loss of the investment in the cost of purchase and installation. Besides the loss due to damage caused to the rectifier, the price of the interruption or intermittence of the cathodic protection to the structure must be considered, and this may lead to corrosion, accidents, leakage of valuable fluids, ecological damage and interruptions in service.
A search of open literature as well as that which refers to intellectual property did not reveal the existence of inventions related to the protection of cathodic protection rectifiers against vandalism. The search which was carried out only revealed the following:
In the state of the art there are only some apparatus designed to provide anti-vandalism protection for underground structures in places of public access, for example, a basin with a protective anti-vandalism top (ES1063394U), which protects vegetable matter or street furniture which may be inside it from theft or manipulation; however, there is no alarm system involved. We also found apparatus which protect artifacts located in public places, for example, an anti-vandalism hydrant (ES1030934U, ES1030935U), or public telephones (BRMU8103399U). These inventions are limited to very specific fields and the artifacts protected do not require additional functionality apart from the protective structure.
Patents for constructive schemes of a variety of configurations for systems of cathodic protection were also looked through (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,515,669, 4,504,375, 6,193,443 B1, 6,461,082 B1, 4,089,767, 6,331,242 B1, 6,214,203 B1, 4,175,021, 6,744,265 B2, 3,868,313, 4,169,028, and 5,305,631). In none of these was reference or consideration found related to the social phenomenon of vandalism, nor were constructive elements found which could be thought to be similar to those described in the patent which we will now describe.
In pertinent literature we found that patent application MX/a/2008/011513 partially defends a system for cathodic protection from vandalism attacks; however this patent application does not protect the active element of this system. The latter, the rectifier, is the objective to be protected by the present invention since it represents the highest cost and most frequent objective of attacks.
This invention simultaneously provides a solution to the cathodic protection of the buried structure, as well as protecting the active element which is most vandalized in this type of systems; the rectifier. Thus, not only is the investment in the cathodic protection covered, but also, the investment in the protective system, since there is a possibility for uninterrupted cathodic structural protection, thus prolonging the lifetime of the buried structure, the final objective of the cathodic system.

Anti-vandalism bunker for cathodic protection rectifiers