For the horizontal positioning of serially supplied, flat objects (1) to be conveyed onward, the objects (1) are supplied suspended, one of their main surfaces (10) facing downstream and the other main surface (11) facing upstream. Prior to positioning, lower edge zones (13) of the objects (1) are selectively accelerated or retarded relative to the upper edge zones (12), so that the objects (1) are brought into a position inclined relative to the vertical. Thereafter, the upper edge zones (12) are released and the objects (1), under the influence of gravity, are positioned on an onward conveying device, selectively either the downstream or the upstream main surface (10 or 11) facing upwards. For retarding or accelerating the lower edge zones (13), for example, a conveyor belt or two conveyor belts adjoining one another are utilized. The speed (v.3) of the conveyor belts is adjustable to convert from accelerating operation to retarding operation. The method and device permits easy conversion between modes of operation, and may be utilized for collating printed products or printed part products.

The present invention is generally related to piece good conveyance and, more particularly, a method and device for horizontally positioning for onward conveyance a large number of identical or similar flat objects that are supplied in a serial stream.
One example of an application, in which serially supplied, flat objects are positioned horizontally on a conveying device, is the collating of parts of printed products to form stacks of part products. The collated stacks are then each processed into a finished printed product (e.g., a book or a brochure), usually by binding or stapling. For such a collating operation, for example, a conveyor belt is utilized as a conveying device, with either transverse walls or toes (catches) at a distance to one another in the conveying direction and dividing the conveying track into conveying compartments of equal size. These conveying compartments are transported either continuously or in a clocked cycle past a row of feed points arranged one behind the other. At each of the feed points a part product is deposited in every passing conveying compartment, so that during transportation along the conveying track a stack of part products is produced in every conveying compartment. At the end of the stack conveying track, each of the stacks has a number of part products equivalent to the number of the active feed points it has passed.
Instead of using the named conveyor belt with conveying toes (catches) or transverse walls, the stacks in production can also be pushed along a suitable base by transport cams (catches). Such pushed conveying can be carried out continuously or in a clocked cycle alternating with standstills.
For the supply and horizontal positioning necessary in the mentioned application example, the flat objects are usually conveyed toward a feed point parallel to their main surfaces and one after the other or overlapping one another and they are pushed onto the onward conveying device, resp., onto a stack of other flat objects being transported past the feed point with the help of the onward conveying device. The feeding direction for this purpose is directed toward the onward conveying direction from above and advantageously intersects the plane (conveying plane), on which the conveyed objects are lying, at an acute angle.
In the case of clocked onward conveyance, for which, for example, conveying compartments are stopped for feeding steps and are transported on between feeding steps, the supply direction can be relatively freely selected relative to the onward conveying direction (projection of the supply direction into the onward conveying plane). This means that the supply direction, for example, can be transverse to the onward conveying direction (transverse supply) or it can be the same as the onward conveying direction (parallel supply). In the case of continuous onward conveying, supply of the latter type is particularly suitable, i.e. supply with a feed direction lying in the same plane perpendicular to the onward conveying plane as the onward conveying direction and approaching the onward conveying line from above and at an acute angle.
In the case of square or rectangular, flat objects being supplied by transverse supply, the edges being directed downstream in the supply stream are positioned on the one side of the onward conveying means opposite the feed and they are oriented parallel to the onward conveying direction. In the case of a parallel supply, the edges being oriented downstream in the supply stream remain the leading edges on onwards conveyance being aligned perpendicular to the conveying direction. For flat objects with other shapes, the same applies in analogy for corresponding edge zones.
Known devices for collating printed products, for example, comprise sheet feeders for supplying the part products. Usually these sheet feeders are supplied with part products by hand, the part products being deposited in a stacking shaft. From the stacking shaft the part products are decollated to form a conveying stream. In this stream, they are conveyed toward the feed point essentially parallel to their main surfaces one after the other or overlapping one another and they are pushed onto the stacks under production. This means that the position of the products on the stacks under production is correlated in a fixed manner with the position of the products in the stacking shaft. Therefore, for a predefined product position on the stacks being produced, the products have to be filled into the stacking shaft in a corresponding manner.
It is also known to supply feed points by uncoiling stations, in which stations a stream of imbricated printed products is uncoiled from a corresponding coil and is supplied to the feed point. Feeding by means of a continuously supplied product stream is also known. In both cases it is advantageous to interpose a buffer between the feed point and the supply device. For such equipped feed points also, there is a fixed relationship between the product orientation in the supply stream and the product orientation on the stacks being produced by collating. If this correlation is to be changeable, then devices have to be provided, with which the supply stream of imbricated products can be reorganized, i.e., re-scaling devices, e.g. for reversing the stream or for recoiling a product coil. Devices of this kind are expensive and take up a lot of space.
It is also known to produce stacks from a plurality of different printed products, such as newspapers, magazines, advertising brochures and other advertising material using a collating device and then package the stacks to form complete shipping units e.g. using a folio assembler. In shipping units of this kind the orientation of the individual products is not predefined, as is the case for a stack of part products to be assembled to form one product. On the contrary, there is the desire to arrange the two outermost products of the stack such that the front side of both is visible through the folio, and to arrange the products inside the stack such that thicker folded edges are distributed as uniformly as possible over two opposite sides of the stack to stabilize the stack. Because usually only relatively small numbers of the mentioned shipping units with the same composition have to be made up, this signifies that the supply orientation of the products has to be changed time and again.
With the known supply systems, such changes have to be carried out by persons operating the sheet feeders by filling the products into the stacking shaft with varying orientations depending on the shipping units to be produced. This quite invariably leads to mistakes. Other supply systems have to be correspondingly retooled for such changes and then set up or adjusted for the change. As already mentioned above, this is expensive.
An object of the present invention is a method and a device by means of which flat objects, which are supplied in a serial conveying stream, can be horizontally positioned for an onward conveyance, wherein with the same orientation of all objects in the supply stream it shall be possible, with the simplest of measures, to set two different orientations for the objects onward conveyance. In achieving the objective, the method is designed such that it can be carried out with a simple device, which can easily be adjusted for two positioning orientations.
In accordance with the present invention, flat objects are supplied in suspended manner and with their main surfaces vertical or inclined (not parallel) to the feeding direction such that one of their main surfaces is facing downstream and the other one is facing upstream. This means that the flat objects in the supply stream are held individually or, if required, in small groups by grippers by an upper edge zone. Lower edge zones are movable in the feeding direction relative to the upper edge zones as a result of a corresponding flexibility of the objects and/or of a corresponding ability of the grippers to swivel. This means that, by using appropriate means, the objects can be brought into positions in which the lower edge zone of each object is not situated vertically below the upper edge zone held by a gripper, but rather is either ahead of or trails behind the upper edge zone.
Immediately before the horizontal positioning of an object, a positioning device engages the lower edge zone of the objects and accelerates or retards this lower edge zone versus the upper edge zone in dependence of the desired positioning orientation. As a result of this, the object is brought into an inclined position relative to its vertical position, which it assumes in freely suspended conveyance. When the object is sufficiently inclined, it is released by the gripper and is finally positioned by the force of gravity and, if required, guided by the positioning means.
If, before positioning, the lower edge zone is accelerated versus the upper edge zone, the one main surface of the flat object that was facing downstream in the supply stream is facing upwards after positioning. On the other hand if, before positioning, the lower edge zone, however, is retarded, then the one main surface that was facing upstream in the supply stream is facing upwards.
Onward conveyance, as in the case of the known methods briefly described above, can be clocked or continuous. In the case of clocked onward conveyance, in which the objects are essentially positioned on a conveying surface that is stationary at this point in time, the feeding, for example, can be transverse to the direction of onward conveyance or parallel to it. In the case of continuous onward conveyance, feeding has advantageously substantially the same direction as onward conveyance. For parallel feeding, a lower edge zone accelerated prior to positioning becomes the leading edge zone for onward conveyance; a correspondingly retarded edge zone becomes the trailing edge zone.
The device of the present invention includes a supply means and a positioning means, both being matched to an onward conveying means.
The supply means supplies the flat objects in a suspended position in a controlled manner. For this purpose, it has a multitude of grippers displaceable under control in the feeding direction. Advantageously, these grippers are relatively freely swivellable in the feeding direction. The grippers, for example, are attached to a circulating conveying organ at a regular distance from one another. The grippers, however, can also be displaceable more or less independent of one another and, for example, can be buffered ahead of the feeding point and called up from the buffer specifically for the feeding operation.
The supply means furthermore comprises deactivation means, through which the grippers are deactivated at a predefined release point for releasing the objects. The deactivation means can be controlled such that only a predetermined part of the grippers is deactivated, while not deactivated grippers pass the release point without releasing the object they are gripping.
The positioning means serves to retard or accelerate lower edge zones of objects conveyed by the supply means prior to positioning. The positioning means, for example, is designed as a conveyor belt, which extends underneath the grippers and which forms an acute angle with the feeding direction, the apex of which is in the area of the release point. The speed with which the positioning means moves the lower edge zones bward the release point is adjustable to a minimum of two values. In this respect, one of these speeds for accomplishing an acceleration of the lower edge zones is greater than the conveying speed of the feeding means and the other one for a corresponding retardation is smaller than the conveying speed or else can be zero. If so required, the position of the positioning means is adjustable relative to the supply means.
The supply means and the positioning means are matched to one another and to the onward conveying means such that an object, when it is released by the gripper, has an inclined position. This inclination has such an extent, that the object can be positioned at the predetermined point of the onward conveying means (e.g., in a conveying compartment) having the predetermined orientation (leading or trailing main surface on top) by the effect of the force of gravity and if necessary with controlled assistance by parts of the positioning means.

Method and device for the horizontal positioning of serially conveyed, flat objects


In order to support an inspecting person in a method for the manual non-destructive inspection of a test object, a detection device is provided for detecting three-dimensional surface coordinates of a region to be inspected on the test object and for continuously determining positions and speeds of an inspecting tool relative to the test object Discrete position values and speed values of the inspecting tool for the respective measurement time points are stored by a storage device. A computing device determines the share of an already inspected region in relation to the total region of the test object to be inspected. The method and device can be used for manual inspection of test objects having a plurality of different shapes. The inspecting person is effectively relieved and the process for the non-destructive inspection is documented in order to guarantee a complete inspection.

The invention relates to a method for the manual nondestructive inspection of a test object, and to a device for supporting a manual nondestructive inspection of a test object.
In a nondestructive test of a test object, a manual test is conducted in many instances, particularly when automation is not worthwhile given a diverse range of various test objects. Irrespective of the type of test technique applied, the so-called test coverage is decisive for a reliable test statement.
Test coverage is provided when a region of a test object to be completely tested has actually been completely tested.
By way of example, in a manual ultrasonic test a component surface is scanned by a test person with the aid of a test head. In order for a test area to be covered completely, the test head tracks must extend without gaps over the complete area. Distances between the test head tracks and test head speeds are not permitted to become too large. Similar considerations apply in the case of a manual eddy-current test.
By way of example, in active thermography a test person positions an inductor at specific sites and at a specific spacing from the test object. All prescribed measurements must be carried out to obtain complete test coverage, it being necessary to maintain the position of the inductor and the spacing from the component.
It is the task of the test person to ensure the required test coverage and to sign off for it. There is the disadvantage that it is no longer possible in a customary way to monitor whether all of the required regions of the test objects have been tested, that is to say covered, as prescribed.
It is the task of the test person to ensure the test coverage in a manual test. It is no longer possible customarily to monitor the tested area or the correct position retrospectively.
What is customary is to make use of guide devices in part as a way to support the test person. However, there is the disadvantage here that guide devices are very specific to the test object, as a result of which there is a large outlay on the provision of such guide devices given a diverse range of various test objects. Furthermore, a required correct placement of a guide device on a test object can constitute a source of error. Such a correct replacement of guide devices likewise effects an increased outlay in carrying out the test.
Alternatively, carrying out a test using position encoders is supported at least in part customarily. It is possible in this way to monitor instances of a maximum test speed. There is the disadvantage that errors can result with regards to reference positions and/or movement directions of test heads, which means, in the end, that the test person is once again responsible for ensuring a required test coverage.

Ensuring inspection coverage for manual inspection


A computer comprising a plurality of interconnected processing nodes arranged in a toroid configuration in which multiple layers of interconnected nodes are arranged along an axis; each layer comprising a plurality of processing nodes connected in a ring in a non-axial plane by at least an intralayer respective set of links between each pair of neighbouring processing nodes, the links in each set adapted to operate simultaneously; wherein each of the processing nodes in each layer is connected to a respective corresponding node in each adjacent layer by an interlayer link to form respective rings along the axis; the computer programmed to provide a plurality of embedded one-dimensional logical paths and to transmit data around each of the embedded one-dimensional paths in such a manner that the plurality of embedded one-dimensional logical paths operate simultaneously, each logical path using all processing nodes of the computer in a sequence.

Collectives are routines which are commonly used when processing data in a computer. They are routines which enable data to be shared and processed across multiple different processes, which may be running on the same processing node or different processing nodes. For example, if one process reads data from a data store it can use a "broadcast" process to share that data with other processes. Another example is when the result of a particular function is needed on multiple processes. A "reduction" is a result which has required the application of a compute function to a data value from each of multiple processes. "Gather" and "Scatter" collectives handle more than one data item. Certain collectives have become increasingly important in processing machine learning applications.
MPI (Message Passing Interface) is a message passing standard which can be applied to many parallel computing architectures. MPI defines a number of collectives applicable to machine learning. One such collective is termed "Allreduce". An Allreduce operation enables a result of a compute function acting on multiple data values from different source processes to be provided at a receiving process. Note that a receiving process may be one of the source processes, and that there may be multiple receiving processes. The Allreduce collective reduces the data values from multiple source processes and distributes the results to all the source processes, (which are acting as receiving processes for the reduced result). According to the MPI Standard, the Allreduce collective is implemented by reducing the data values from all source processes in a reduce collective (e.g. at one of the processes) and then broadcasting the result to each source process.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a distributed architecture for training a neural network. A source of training data 100 is provided. This may be a database or any other kind of data store capable of holding training data applicable to the neural network model being trained. Processing according to the neural network model is itself distributed across multiple processing units 110a, 110b, 110c etc. Only three units are shown in FIG. 1, but it will readily be appreciated that any number of processing units could be utilised. Each processing unit 110a, b, c receives batches of training data from the training data source 100. Each processing unit 110a, b, c holds a set of parameters 112a, 112b, 112c which define the model. An incoming batch of training data is processed with a current set of parameters in a calculation function 114 and the results of the calculation function are used to generate so-called deltas which represent the difference between the original parameter and the new parameter as a result of applying the calculating function on the batch of training data and the current set of parameters. In many neural networks, these parameters are termed "weights" and so the delta values are termed "delta weights". The weights are labelled 112a, b, c and the delta weights are labelled 116a, b, c in FIG. 1. It will be appreciated that in practice the weights and delta weights are stored in suitable stores accessible by the processing unit. If the weights and delta weights can be held in local memory, this renders the training process much more efficient.
The aim with the architecture of FIG. 1 is not to train three separate models but to train a single model in a distributed manner. Therefore, the purpose is to have the model parameters (or weights) converged to a single common set in each processing unit. It is evident that starting from any particular set of weights, and assuming that the batch of training data received at each processing unit is not identical, then there will be a variation in the delta weights which are produced by each calculation function in each processing unit. What is needed therefore is a way to distribute the delta weights across the processing units after each iteration of batched training data. This is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1 where a combinational function 118 receives the delta weights from each processing unit and performs a mathematical function which reduces the delta weights, such as an averaging function. The output of the combinatorial function 118 is then fed back to combining circuitry 120a, 120b and 120c within each processing unit respectively. A new set of weights is thus produced as a combination of the original weights and the combined output from the combinatorial function 118, and the new weights 118a, 118b, 118c are stored back into local memory. Then, the next batch of training data is supplied to each processing unit and the process repeats multiple times. It is evident that if the starting weights of the processing units are the same, then after each iteration they will be reset again to the same, new values. It can readily be seen that the above is an example of where the Allreduce function is particularly useful. The delta weights are supplied to the combinatorial function 118a where they are reduced, and they are then supplied back to each of the processing units in their reduced form, where they can be combined with the original weights.
FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram to illustrate how an Allreduce collective might be implemented in a line connected topology of six processing nodes N0 . . . N5. These processing nodes may correspond to the processing units of FIG. 1 in which the combinational function is distributed. The processing nodes are shown connected in a line configuration where each processing node is connected to its neighbour by a "forwards" links LF and a "backwards" link LB. As shown in the diagram, and as the directional phrases imply, the forward links connect processing nodes from the left to right in FIG. 1A, and the backwards links connect processing nodes from the right to left in FIG. 1A. Each processing node has a processing capability designated 200, and a storage capability designated 202. The processing capability and storage capability can be implemented in any of a very large number of ways. In one particular manifestation, the processing node may comprise multiple tiles, each individual tile having its own processing capability and associated memory capability. Each processing node also has one or more link interface which enables it to be connected to its neighbouring node via the links LF/LB.
To understand the implementation of the Allreduce collective, assume that the first node NO has generated a "partial" vector labelled Δ 0. The "partial" may be a data structure comprising an array, such as a vector or tensor, of delta weights. A partial vector is an array of partials each corresponding to a computation on the processing nodes. Each "partial" may be a set of delta weights. This is stored in the storage capability 202 ready to be exchanged in an Allreduce collective. In a simple "streaming" line Allreduce algorithm, the forward links are used for "reduce" and the backward links are used for "broadcast". The algorithm starts with the processing node N0 at one end (the left-hand node in FIG. 1A) sending its partial Δ 0 to its adjacent node N1. At this node, the incoming partial (Δ 0 in this case) is reduced with the corresponding partial which was generated by the computing capability 200 at the processing node N1, Δ 1. The result of this reduction (shown as an ADD function in FIG. 1A) is then sent from processing node N1 to the next connected node N2. As mentioned further herein, the ADD function could be replaced by any combinatorial function which could be used to reduce the partials. The process occurs at each processing node, until at the final processing node, denoted N5 in FIG. 1A, the reduction of the partials is complete. At this point, the reduction (summation A) is sent back to each processing node via the backward links LB. It is received at each node, stored at that node in the memory capability and then also transmitted to the next node. In this way, each processing node ends up with the reduced result.
FIG. 1B shows a timing diagram of the reduce and broadcast phases. Note that a processing node cannot send a reduced result to the next node until it has received the incoming data from the previous node. Thus, there is an inherent latency marked A for each outgoing transmission on the forward links.
Furthermore, the backward links are not utilised for broadcast until the fully reduced result has been obtained at the end node. However, if the partial vectors are large, due to the pipelined effect the lead data item of the result will return to the starting node well before that node has finished sending the data items of its partial, so there may be a substantial overlap of activity on all forward and backward links.
In a modification to this algorithm, which represents a small improvement, processing nodes at each end of the line can start to transmit their partials towards a central node, with the reduction being completed at the central nodes. In that case, the result is broadcast back to the end nodes. Note that in this scenario, there would be a reversal in the direction of movement, for example between nodes N2 and N3, and N3 and N4 on both the forward and backward links. If a line is closed into a ring (by connecting the final node N5 to the first node N0 on both the backward and forward links), a pipeline algorithm can serialise reduction and broadcast in the same direction, so that the two logical rings formed by the bi-directional links can each operate independently on half of the data. That is, each partial vector is split into two and a first half Δ A is reduced on the forward links (as in FIG. 1A), and broadcast on the connecting leg between N5 and No. The other half of the vector Δ B is reduced on the backward links, and then broadcast on the connecting ring of the backward links.
FIG. 1D illustrates the corresponding timing diagram for the forward and backward links.
A. The principles of the one-dimensional ring shown in FIGS. 1C and 1D can be extended to rings in two dimensions such as in a torus or toroid connected computer.
Using rings in two dimensions, an alternative approach is to implement Allreduce using an Allgather collective followed by a reduce-scatter collective. A paper authored by Jain and Sabharwal entitled "Optimal Bucket Algorithms for large MPI collectives on torus interconnects" (ICS' 10, June 2-4, Tsukuba) presents bucket based algorithms for Allgather, reduce-scatter and Allreduce collectives assuming bi-directional links between processing nodes in a torus interconnected processor. This approach operates on the basis that there are multiple data values (fragments) to be handled in each step. In the reduce-scatter collective, each process starts with an initial partial vector. It is assumed that a reference here to a process is to a process carried out on a processing node. A partial vector can be divided into multiple elements or fragments. The corresponding elements of all processes are reduced and these reduced elements are then distributed across the processes. In the Allgather collective, every process receives all elements from all other processes. The reduce-scatter collective reduces all partials and stores each reduction on a respective node—see FIG. 2. The Allreduce collective operation can be implemented by performing a reduce-scatter collective followed by an Allgather collective operation.
As discussed in Jain's paper, torus interconnects are attractive interconnection architectures for distributed memory supercomputers. In the above discussion, collectives have been explained in the context of communication between processes. In a distributed supercomputer, processing nodes are interconnected, and each processing node may be responsible for one or more process in the context of collectives. A torus interconnect is a type of mesh interconnect with processing nodes arranged in an array of N dimensions, with each node connected to its nearest neighbours, and corresponding nodes on opposite edges of the array also connected. In many toroid configurations, bi-directional communication links exist between interconnected processing nodes.
The algorithms for implementing collectives which are discussed in the above-referenced paper authored by Jain and Sabharwal are applied on torus connected architectures. This allows the collectives to process different fragments of the vectors in rings in different dimensions at the same time, making the process bandwidth efficient. However, the present inventor has determined that the techniques presented by Jain and Sabharwal are not optimal for symmetric or asymmetric toroids, despite the accepted view in the field that this is the case. A symmetric toroid is understood to be one in which the number of nodes in a non-axial ring matches the number of nodes in axial rings of the toroid. An asymmetric toroid is understood to be one in which the number of nodes in the non-axial rings does not match the number of nodes in the axial rings. Note that in both cases the number of axial rings equals the number of nodes in a non-axial ring.
An objective of the present disclosure is to present an improved computer and method for implementing a collective, such as an Allreduce function, particularly but not exclusively for use in processing functions in machine learning. While the topologies and configurations described herein are particularly effective for the efficient implementation of Allreduce, they may also be advantageously used for other machine learning collectives and other types of parallel programs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Embedding rings on a toroid computer network


A flow controlling system having a viscosity sensitive means for producing a simulated fluid pressure which varies in correspondence with a fluid pressure at a predetermined portion of a fluid flow circuit on the basis of the viscosity of the fluid flowing through the circuit, and a pressure regulating means, that is responsive to changes in the simulated pressure, for maintaining a predetermined pressure at that predetermined portion of the fluid flow circuit. In particular, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the flow controlling system is utilized in an engine timing control tappet system of the type having at least one expansible tappet for controlling timing of a fuel injector using oil that is supplied by a pump to an engine lubrication circuit.

It has long been known to use engine lubrication oil to advance or retard the timing of fuel injection in a diesel engine. A timing control arrangement similar to the type contemplated for use with the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,499 to Perr, the fuel injector shown in FIG. 1 includes a cam shaft 1 carrying cam lobes 3 and 5 for operating a rocker arm 7 via a link 9. Rotation of cam shaft 1 causes rocker arm 7 to rotate about shaft 11 to reciprocate injector plunger 13 via the link 9 and timing control tappet 15. Although normal timing is ideal for a range of engine connected operating conditions, it results in incomplete combustion during idling and low engine speeds because of insufficient pressure in the combustion chamber. Incomplete combustion results in high hydrocarbon emissions and low fuel economy, problems that can be alleviated by injecting fuel into the combustion cylinder sooner.
In the fuel injector shown in FIG. 1, advanced timing is achieved by introducing timing fluid into a timing chamber 17, thereby producing a height of fluid which lengthens the link between rocker arm 7 and injector plunger 13. As a result of this lengthened linkage, injector plunger 13 reaches its bottom-most position at an earlier point in the rotation of cam shaft 1. Accordingly, fuel injection occurs at a point in the combustion cycle when the piston of the engine is still moving upward, and while the combustion chamber size is still decreasing This advancement of injection produces combustion at higher pressures than normal timing because during normal timing injection occurs at a point close to the top dead center position of the piston, and most combustion takes place while the piston is moving downward to increase the combustion chamber size.
The specific operation of timing advancement will become more clear from a study of FIGS. 2 and 3 as compared with FIG. 1. FIG. 1 illustrates the injector parts at the end of an injection stroke wherein plunger 13 is in the down position Note that timing chamber 17 contains a metered amount of timing fluid, which has advanced the downward movement of plunger 13. FIG. 2 illustrates the timing control tappet of FIG. 1 after timing fluid has drained from chamber 17 and injector plunger 13 has retracted to a position above the point when timing fluid enters timing chamber 17. FIG. 3 illustrates the actual metering of fluid into chamber 17.
Whether and how much timing fluid will be supplied to the timing chamber 17 of the tappet is a function of the pressure of the timing fluid. When the pressure of the timing fluid supply is insufficient to overcome the closure force of check valve 18 in passageway 19, no timing fluid is admitted to chamber 17. Furthermore, the extent to which the pressure of the timing fluid supply exceeds that necessary to open the check valve 18 determines how much timing fluid will actually enter chamber 17. Thus, because timing chamber 17 can be filled during only a limited portion of the cycle of camshaft 1, if adequate supply pressure is not maintained, even if check valve 18 opens, a proper timing advance will not be obtained. However, due to temperature effects upon the viscosity of the timing fluid, especially the lubricant normally used as a timing fluid, sufficient pressure to properly fill the timing control tappets has been very difficult to achieve under all operating conditions with the prior art devices.
For example, in an embodiment of the prior art tappets, shown in FIGS. 1-3, engine lubrication oil is used as the timing fluid, cold engine lubrication oil is highly viscous. Thus, when the lubrication oil is cold, the timing chamber 17 may fill only partially during the portion of the cycle allowing flow through passageway 18, so that timing is only partially advanced. Moreover, during operation with very cold lubrication oil (i.e., in the range below 0 degrees F.), timing chamber 17 may not fill at all. In such a situation, even though advanced timing may be desired, normal timing nonetheless results. Failure to properly obtain the appropriate timing advance leads to such undesirable effects as incomplete combustion, poor idling characteristics, low fuel economy, and the emission of white smoke which is high in hydrocarbons.
As illustrated by the solid line in FIGS. 4 and 5, even though the oil pressure at engine block drillings of the lubrication system is maintained constant (FIG. 5), the oil pressure at the tappets in prior art devices does not reach the necessary pressure level, indicated by the broken line in FIG. 4, until the engine warms up and oil viscosity, drops Therefore, until a temperature corresponding to point A in FIG. 4 is reached, the advanced timing function is not properly performed due to the pressure drop caused by the cumulative boundary layer effects resulting from pumping very thick oil through relatively narrow passageways.
Devices for measuring oil viscosity are known as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,863,090 to Albersheim et al and U.S. Pat. No. 2,050,242 to Booth. Neither of these devices, however, effects a change in the pressure of oil responsive to its viscosity. Although Booth recognizes that more pressure is required for the flow of more viscous oil, neither patent discloses means for increasing oil pressure to critical engine parts when viscosity increases are observed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,194,605 to Mapel and U.S. Pat. No. 2,035,951 to Eckstein disclose other apparatus for measuring oil viscosity. Mapel recognizes that a greater pressure must be used to effect the same rate of flow for thick oil, but uses this relationship only as an indication of viscosity. Mapel does not change oil pressure in response to high viscosity oil.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,369 to de Bok discloses an invention which heats a fluid until a desired viscosity is achieved Although de Bok establish desirable flow characteristics upon sensing an undesirable viscosity level, the de Bok device requires a heater for heating the fluid until a desired viscosity is obtained which would be otherwise unnecessary, and thereby would increase the costs of manufacturing and maintaining an engine. Furthermore, although a heater may provide sufficient heat to achieve the proper viscosity of small amounts of fuel, as is de Bok's purpose, such a heater would be incapable of heating the quantity of oil required for lubrication in a diesel engine in a fast enough time to provide the degree of responsiveness that would be required to be useful for achieving proper operation of variable timing tappets.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,051,026 to Booth discloses an engine lubricating system designed to supply lubricating oil to the engine bearings at uniform viscosity in which only a small amount of oil from a hot oil sump is circulated through the engine when the engine is started, and as viscosity drops, oil is also admitted to the lubrication system from a larger, cold oil sump in a manner designed to hold the oil at a temperature which will yield the correct oil viscosity. Although this arrangement provides an almost immediate supply of oil of a desired viscosity to the bearings, the arrangement is disadvantageous because it requires two oil sumps (one hot and one cold) and associated controls, sensors, and piping for mixing hot and cold oil to achieve the desired viscosity. Furthermore, such a necessarily small hot oil sump is not designed to meet the needs of a tappet system of the type initially mentioned.
In short, no apparatus is known which not only senses the viscosity of lubricating oil, but also adjust the output pressure from a lubrication oil pump in response thereto. Particularly, there is no apparatus known that increases the pressure of oil delivered to timing control tappets upon sensing that the oil viscosity is above a predetermined level to ensure proper operation of the timing control tappets.

Viscosity responsive pressure regulator and timing control tappet system incorporating the same


A method of calculating payload material weight is executable by an electronic controller of a machine and includes steps of determining a first force on first front and rear struts of the machine in an unloaded condition of the machine, and adjusting the first force based on at least one of an unloaded front strut friction force and an unloaded rear strut friction force to define an unloaded weight. The method also includes steps of determining a second force on the first front and rear struts in a loaded condition of the machine, and adjusting the second force based on at least one of a loaded front strut friction force and a loaded rear strut friction force to define a loaded weight. A payload material weight is calculated by the method based on a difference between the loaded weight and the unloaded weight.

Off-highway machines, such as, for example, dump trucks, are typically used to transport a payload material, such as, for example, rock, sand, dirt, or gravel, from one location to another. According to a particular work cycle, the dump truck may use a dump body to receive a portion of the payload material and transfer the received portion of payload material to another location. According to this work cycle and others, it may be desirable to calculate the weight, or mass, of the payload material that is moved within or transported from a work site. This payload weight calculation may be used to evaluate efficiency, productivity, and profitability of the work site operations.
Some onboard payload material weight calculation strategies for these types of machines include measuring suspension strut pressures of the truck and using a combination of formulas and empirical data to calculate the payload weight. For instance, co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,712 to Kyrtsos et al. teaches a dynamic payload monitor with the capability of measuring the compression condition of the four struts of the truck while the truck is in motion, in order to produce an even more accurate measurement than that likely possible when the truck is in a stationary position. These strut pressure strategies can typically produce payload weight accuracies on the order of plus or minus 5%. However, there is an ever increasing demand for improved accuracy with respect to payload weight measurement systems.
The present disclosure is directed to one or more of the problems or issues set forth above.

Method of calculating payload material weight and machine using same


This invention is to provide the affixing structure and the window regulator using the affixing structure, that has simple structure and that can smoothly fix the window glass to the carrier plate. The affixing structure 17 comprises a carrier plate 18 and a glass holder 16. The carrier plate 18 has a base portion 22a for placing the glass holder 16, a guide portion 22b which protrudes from the side edge of the base portion 22a and which has a inclined surface 22e slanted downwardly heading the placement face, and a fixing portion 22c which projects downwardly from other side edge of the base portion 22a. The glass holder 16 has a bottom part 16a to he placed on the base portion 22a, and a fixing part 16b which projects downwardly from the from the side edge and which contacts with a periphery of the fixing portion of the carrier plate. The bottom part 16aof the glass holder 16 meets the top of the inclined surface 22e before the edge of the fixing part 16bmeets the base portion 22a while lowering the glass holder 16.

One example of the affixing structure for fixing the window glass to the carrier plate is shown in FIG. 6. This affixing structure 100 comprises the glass holder 102 for supporting the window glass 101 and the carrier plate 103 to be fixed to the glass holder 102. The carrier plate 103 has the guide portion 104 protruding obliquely upward heading window glass. On the other hand, the glass holder 102 has the insertion part 105 protruding obliquely downward heading the carrier plate. The insertion part 105 is guided along by the guide portion 104 of the carrier plate 103.
Another example of the affixing structure for fixing the window glass to the carrier plate is shown in FIG. 7. This affixing structure 110 comprises the glass holder 111 to be attached to the bottom end of the window glass and the carrier plate 112 for supporting the glass holder 111. The glass holder 111 has the leg part 111a protruding downward. The carrier plate 112 has the holder fixing part 113, 113 on its both side ends. The holder fixing part 113 has the fixing surface 113a which meets with the back of the glass holder 111, the stepped part 113b formed on the top of the fixing surface 113a, the back guide 113c protruding upward from the back end of the stepped part 113b. Further, one of the holder fixing part 113 (left side of figure) has the side surface 113d which stands from the left and right side of the fixing surface 113a, and front surface 113e which couples the front edge of the side surface 113d. The inner surface of both side surfaces 113d, 113d are tapered so as the width or the opening formed by the inner surface of the side surfaces 113d is continuously narrow heading downward.
According to this affixing structure 110, the front and back direction of the leg part 111a are guided by the front surface 113e and both back guide 113c formed left and right, and the left and right direction of the leg part are guided by the side surface 113d, when the glass holder 111 is brought down or lowered for fixing the glass holder 111 to the holder fixing part 113. Further, the leg part 111a may be temporary laid on the stepped part 113b, 113b before glass holder 111 is completely fixed to the holder fixing part 113. Therefore, it is one of this characteristic features that the worker can adjust the position of the window glass during this temporary position before the final fixing.
However, the affixing structure 100 of FIG. 6 has to set the guide portion 104 to the both side of the carrier plate 103 which makes the structure complicated. On the other hand, the affixing structure 110 of FIG. 7 sometimes has handling jam that the ends of the leg part 111a, 111a hit the stepped part 113b, 113b which interrupt the smooth handling of the glass holder 111 attachment.
[Prior Art]
    [Patent literature 1] Published Japanese Patent Application 2007-278061    [Patent literature 2] Published Japanese Patent Application 2004-68506

Affixing structure for fixing a window glass to a carrier plate, and a window regulator using the affixing structure


In order to prevent the upper part of a subject such as a multistoried building or the like from being photographed in a short form when a wide angle shot is carried out, image pick-up means 5 are provided at intervals of 90 degrees on a base 4. The image pick-up means 5 respectively have front convex lenses 8 and image pick-up parts 7 along vertical planes parallel to each other. The front convex lenses 8 are displaced along the vertical planes so as to be provided at higher positions than those of the image pick-up parts 7. The NP points of the image pick-up means 5 are arranged to respectively correspond to each other so that a parallax is reduced.

When a subject such as a high building is photographed by a video camera, the video camera needs to be directed upward to set an angle formed by the optical axis of the video camera and the subject 1 to an acute angle α, as shown in FIG. 6. Here, the lens of the video camera or the like comprises a plurality of lenses. They are equivalently represented by one convex lens 2. Both the convex lens 2 and an image pick-up element 3 are arranged at right angles to the central axis of the video camera. The parts A, B and C of the subject 1 correspond to A′, B′ and C′ on the image pick-up element 3. While the point B is an intermediate height position between the points A and C, a distance between the points A′ and B′ is shorter than a distance between the points B′ and C′, so that the part of a high position of the subject 1 is photographed in a compressed and short form.


A modified push-pull booster circuit is proposed, wherein two alternately switching transistors are disposed on the primary winding of a transformer, and a bridge rectifier and a charging circuit are disposed on the secondary winding; wherein the bridge rectifier has a pair of inductors with inductive coupling installed on the first half and second half of the circuit. The push-pull circuit uses series inductance to step up the bus voltage, and, because of the degaussing effect when current is induced on the inductors, the inductance of the inductor can be decreased even without using snubber circuit, thus decreasing the peak voltage of the bridge rectifier, and balancing the magnitude of current flow in the secondary winding. By reducing the turn ratio on the transformer windings, the operating efficiency of the booster circuit can be considerably improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a modified push-pull booster circuit, in particular to a modified circuit that can improve the operating efficiency of a transformer by reducing the turn ratio in the transformer and simplifying the circuit, which is capable of cutting down the production cost considerably.
2. Description of Related Arts
Though switching power supplies are vital for electronic products, the efficiency of a dc booster circuit is just as important to a switching power supply. With reference to FIG. 4, a conventional push-pull booster circuit for an ac/dc transformer is composed of a pair of alternately switching transistors (Q1, Q2) that allow electrical energy to be transferred from the primary winding to the secondary winding in a transformer. Since the current in the primary and secondary windings of a transformer (70) flows in opposite directions, degaussing takes place each time the two transistors (Q1, Q2) in the windings of the transformer (70) break over. The secondary winding of the transformer (70) is coupled to a bridge rectifier (71) so the output from the transformer can be inverted by full wave rectification. The rectified current is then passed to the charging circuit (72) formed by two capacitors (C1, C2) that generate positive and negative bus voltages for a load circuit.
Since the capacitance in the capacitors (C1, C2) is usually quite high, the peak current of the bus charging circuit can fluctuate widely. Adding inductors (L1, L2) on the positive and negative electrodes of the charging circuit (72) is necessary. The main purpose of adding the inductors (L1, L2) is to limit the rise in current in the secondary winding of the transformer (70), and to maintain a continuous flow even during cut off.
However, when the current abruptly changes direction, the inductors (L1, L2) in series generate a peak voltage, which increases the voltage stress on the rectifying diodes (D1, D2, D3, D4) in the bridge rectifier (71). Therefore, a snubber circuit (73) is normally added between the inductors (L1, L2). The snubber circuit (73) consists of two subcircuits with one subcircuit connected to each side of the bridge rectifier. Each subcircuit of the snubber circuit (73) is composed of a diode (D5, D6), a capacitor (C3, C4) and a resistor (R1, R2). Consequently, the peak voltage through the bridge rectifier (71) is reduced, which decreases the voltage stress on the rectifying diodes (D1, D2, D3, D4) and permits the use of components made to less stringent specifications.
The foregoing modification to the booster circuit uses a snubber circuit (73) that adds components and raises the cost of production. Also, the inherent power loss in the snubber circuit (73) will decrease the overall efficiency of the circuit, and the series inductors (L1, L2) will reflect the voltage when the current changes direction suddenly, thus partially offsetting the boosted voltage of the push-pull transformer (70). To offset the reflected voltage, the turns on the secondary winding of the transformer (70) must be increased to obtain the design bus voltage. However, the increased number of turns on the secondary winding has a negative effect on production costs, manufacturing complexity and operating efficiency of the transformer (70) as a whole.
Although good reasons exist for using inductors in series, a better solution is presented in the present invention.
The main objective of the present invention is to provide a modified push-pull booster circuit capable of simplifying the circuit design, lowering the production cost and improving the operating efficiency of the transformer.
The push-pull booster circuit in accordance with the present invention mainly includes two switch transistors; a bridge rectifier and a charging circuit. The two alternately switching transistors are connected to the primary winding of the transformer. The bridge rectifier and the charging circuit are connected sequentially to the secondary winding, and a pair of inductors with inductive coupling is connected between the bridge rectifier and the charging circuit, or between the secondary winding of the transformer and the bridge rectifier.
Since these two inductors are in series configuration, current passing through produces a degaussing effect, equivalent to leakage inductance. When a current suddenly increases through the switch transistors in the primary winding of the transformer or the secondary winding of the transformer, the induced voltage in both inductors will cancel each other, thereby preventing a peak voltage on the rectifying diodes of the bridge rectifier. Also, when current is induced in any one of the inductors, an induced voltage will appear on the other winding due to the inductive coupling, which will cause recharging of the capacitor and boosting the bus voltage.
The inductively coupled inductors are implemented by a second transformer with the same number of turns on the primary and secondary windings.
The features and structure of the present invention will be more clearly understood when taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

Push-pull booster circuit with a pair of inductors for coupling


A smokeless ashtray with controlled combustion chambers comprising a body of suitable shape and material or suitably integrated combination of materials. A top surface and a bottom surface. An ash collecting cavity integrated with an ashtray wall and the top surface. A number of controlled combustion chambers integrated with the top surface, each having a curved controlled combustion chamber surface, a groove located on the curved controlled combustion chamber surface, and a notch in the ashtray wall.

The invention is especially applicable in situations where nonsmokers and smokers must live and work together in close proximity; but, where ban on smoking is not practical or possible. The nonsmokers will find the SATCCC very useful in reducing to a minimum the amount of unnecessary ambient smoke produced by an unused cigarette. This is due to the fact that smokers often tend to smoke a small fraction of a cigarette allowing the remaining fraction to burn itself freely and pollute the ambient air. At home this issue becomes also very important because it concerns the health and the well being of nonsmoking adult family members, damage caused by smoke to real estate and possessions; but most of all, the effect of smoke on infants and children. At work said problem is also further complicated by the fact that many modern office buildings have insufficient air supply and filtering systems, due to various energy and heat conservation programs, and circulate retained smoke, various pollutants, and harmful microorganisms. This resulted in a number of illnesses and the situation has been given considerable attention.
Furthermore, while this partial smoking is beneficial for the nonsmokers because they in fact smoke less, the nonsmokers and smokers inhale resulting ambient cigarette smoke in sufficient quantities so as to pose a considerable health risk factor for both groups. It has been also suggested that such free burning or smoldering cigarettes have lower combustion temperatures than during the actual smoking and result in incomplete combustion by-products and more harmful polutants. In this case the SATCCC eliminates most of the above problems by keeping the cigarette lit but not burning or smoking significantly.
In addition to the above, the smokers benefit from the invention because the invention does not use energy to function in several selectable and distinct ways, there are no moving parts, and no maintenance is required with the exception of removing collected ashes. Consequently, this eliminates the need to purchase expensive batteries, filters, and worn out parts for similar "smokeless" devices. On the other hand, the cost per year of using such mechanical ashtrays is usually several times the purchase price of an item. The invention has no costs associated with it except the purchase price, and this makes it very economical and desirable. Said mechanical ash trays also have a very limited operational lifetime due to wear-and-tear of nonreplaceable parts, as compared to a practically limitless operational life time for the invention.
Another compounded benefit for the smokers is in the fact that through the use of the SATCCC and relative to the smoking frequency, the smokers will in fact save money on cigarette purchases. By using the SATCCC the cigarette is lit much longer without significantly burning itself; consequently, one cigarette may last over the period in which a smoker would normally smoke two cigarettes. Or for a moderate smoker, this may translate effectively to smoking two out of every three cigarettes. However, the most effective demonstration of how the SATCCC works is by comparison of the self burning rates for cigarettes between SATCCC and a conventional ashtray. After approximately seven minutes the cigarette in the conventional ashtray is almost burned out while the cigarette in the SATCCC is practically intact and lit. Furthermore on the subject, it has been also noticed that some mechanical ashtrays which filter cigarette smoke do in fact increase the self burning rate and consume cigarettes much faster as compared with conventional ashtrays.

Smokeless ashtray with controlled combustion chambers


A vehicular hazard mitigation system includes one or more processors and a memory communicably coupled to the processors. The memory may store a vehicular hazard mitigation module including computer-readable instructions that when executed by the processors cause the processors to determine a base vehicle currently driving in an enhanced response driving mode. After determining the base vehicle, at least one alert zone of the base vehicle is determined. A determination is then made as to whether at least one other vehicle is currently in the at least one alert zone of the base vehicle. If at least one other vehicle is currently in the at least one alert zone of the base vehicle, the vehicular hazard mitigation module may autonomously control operation of the base vehicle to shift the driving mode of the base vehicle from the enhanced response driving mode to a non-enhanced response driving mode.

Many vehicles have several "driving modes" which are selectable by a user. Essentially, each driving mode comprises a collection of distinctive settings for the various vehicle systems 140. Each collection of settings is selected to provide associated distinctive driving, handling and ride characteristics depending on the personality and preferences of the user. The driving mode may be selectable using dedicated buttons or switches, thus allowing the user to adjust the "personality" of the vehicle. One example of a driving mode may be a sport mode, "super-sport" or "sport-plus" mode, which may enable tighter turns and provide quicker engine response. Operating the vehicle in such modes may encourage more aggressive driving, possibly increasing the likelihood of accidents in cases where the vehicle is driving in the vicinity of other vehicles. The risk may be magnified in situations where multiple relatively closely-spaced vehicles are driving in sport modes.

Autonomous control of vehicle driving modes in certain traffic situations

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


The present invention relates to oral solid dosage forms comprising a plasma kallikrein inhibitor, in particular a solid form (Form 1) of the compound of Formula A. Also provided are methods of preparing oral solid dosage forms comprising the compound of Formula A using Form 1 of the compound of Formula A.

Inhibitors of plasma kallikrein have a number of therapeutic applications, particularly in the treatment of retinal vascular permeability associated with diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema and hereditary angioedema.
Plasma kallikrein is a trypsin-like serine protease that can liberate kinins from kininogens (see K. D. Bhoola et al., "Kallikrein-Kinin Cascade", Encyclopedia of Respiratory Medicine, p 483-493; J. W. Bryant et al., "Human plasma kallikrein-kinin system: physiological and biochemical parameters" Cardiovascular and haematological agents in medicinal chemistry, 7, p 234-250, 2009; K. D. Bhoola et al., Pharmacological Rev., 1992, 44, 1; and D. J. Campbell, "Towards understanding the kallikrein-kinin system: insights from the measurement of kinin peptides", Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research 2000, 33, 665-677). It is an essential member of the intrinsic blood coagulation cascade although its role in this cascade does not involve the release of bradykinin or enzymatic cleavage. Plasma prekallikrein is encoded by a single gene and synthesized in the liver. It is secreted by hepatocytes as an inactive plasma prekallikrein that circulates in plasma as a heterodimer complex bound to high molecular weight kininogen which is activated to give the active plasma kallikrein. Kinins are potent mediators of inflammation that act through G protein-coupled receptors and antagonists of kinins (such as bradykinin antagonists) have previously been investigated as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of a number of disorders (F. Marceau and D. Regoli, Nature Rev., Drug Discovery, 2004, 3, 845-852).
Plasma kallikrein is thought to play a role in a number of inflammatory disorders. The major inhibitor of plasma kallikrein is the serpin Cl esterase inhibitor. Patients who present with a genetic deficiency in Cl esterase inhibitor suffer from hereditary angioedema (HAE) which results in intermittent swelling of face, hands, throat, gastro-intestinal tract and genitals. Blisters formed during acute episodes contain high levels of plasma kallikrein which cleaves high molecular weight kininogen liberating bradykinin leading to increased vascular permeability. Treatment with a large protein plasma kallikrein inhibitor has been shown to effectively treat HAE by preventing the release of bradykinin which causes increased vascular permeability (A. Lehmann "Ecallantide (DX-88), a plasma kallikrein inhibitor for the treatment of hereditary angioedema and the prevention of blood loss in on-pump cardiothoracic surgery" Expert Opin. Biol. Ther. 8, p 1187-99).
The plasma kallikrein-kinin system is abnormally abundant in patients with advanced diabetic macular edema. It has been recently published that plasma kallikrein contributes to retinal vascular dysfunctions in diabetic rats (A. Clermont et al. "Plasma kallikrein mediates retinal vascular dysfunction and induces retinal thickening in diabetic rats" Diabetes, 2011, 60, p 1590-98). Furthermore, administration of the plasma kallikrein inhibitor ASP-440 ameliorated both retinal vascular permeability and retinal blood flow abnormalities in diabetic rats. Therefore a plasma kallikrein inhibitor should have utility as a treatment to reduce retinal vascular permeability associated with diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema.
Plasma kallikrein also plays a role in blood coagulation. The intrinsic coagulation cascade may be activated by factor XII (FXII). Once FXII is activated (to FXIIa), FXIIa triggers fibrin formation through the activation of factor XI (FXI) thus resulting in blood coagulation. Plasma kallikrein is a key component in the intrinsic coagulation cascade because it activates FXII to FXIIa, thus resulting in the activation of the intrinsic coagulation pathway. Furthermore, FXIIa also activates further plasma prekallikrein resulting in plasma kallikrein. This results in positive feedback amplification of the plasma kallikrein system and the intrinsic coagulation pathway (Tanaka et al. (Thrombosis Research 2004, 113, 333-339); Bird et al. (Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 2012, 107, 1141-50).
Contact of FXII in the blood with negatively charged surfaces (such as the surfaces of external pipes or the membrane of the oxygenator that the blood passes during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery) induces a conformational change in zymogen FXII resulting in a small amount of active FXII (FXIIa). The formation of FXIIa triggers the formation of plasma kallikrein resulting in blood coagulation, as described above. Activation of FXII to FXIIa can also occur in the body by contact with negatively charged surfaces on various sources (e.g. bacteria during sepsis, RNA from degrading cells), thus resulting in disseminated intravascular coagulation (Tanaka et al. (Thrombosis Research 2004, 113, 333-339)).
Therefore, inhibition of plasma kallikrein would inhibit the blood coagulation cascade described above, and so would be useful in the treatment of disseminated intravascular coagulation and blood coagulation during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery where blood coagulation is not desired. For example, Katsuura et al. (Thrombosis Research, 1996, 82, 361-368) showed that administration of a plasma kallikrein inhibitor, PKSI-527, for LPS-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation significantly suppressed the decrease in platelet count and fibrinogen level as well as the increase in FDP level which usually occur in disseminated intravascular coagulation. Bird et al. (Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 2012, 107, 1141-50) showed that clotting time increased, and thrombosis was significantly reduced in plasma kallikrein-deficient mice. Revenko et al. (Blood, 2011, 118, 5302-5311) showed that the reduction of plasma prekallikrein levels in mice using antisense oligonucleotide treatment resulted in antithrombotic effects. Tanaka et al. (Thrombosis Research 2004, 113, 333-339) showed that contacting blood with DX-88 (a plasma kallikrein inhibitor) resulted in an increase in activated clotting time (ACT). Lehmann et al. (Expert Opin. Biol. Ther. 2008, 1187-99) showed that Ecallantide (a plasma kallikrein inhibitor) was found to delay contact activated induced coagulation. Lehmann et al. conclude that Ecallantide "had in vitro anticoagulant effects as it inhibited the intrinsic pathway of coagulation by inhibiting plasma kallikrein".
Plasma kallikrein also plays a role in the inhibition of platelet activation, and therefore the cessation of bleeding. Platelet activation is one of the earliest steps in hemostasis, which leads to platelet plug formation and the rapid cessation of bleeding following damage to blood vessels. At the site of vascular injury, the interaction between the exposed collagen and platelets is critical for the retention and activation of platelets, and the subsequent cessation of bleeding.
Once activated, plasma kallikrein binds to collagen and thereby interferes with collagen-mediated activation of platelets mediated by GPVI receptors (Liu et al. (Nat Med., 2011, 17, 206-210)). As discussed above, plasma kallikrein inhibitors reduce plasma prekallikrein activation by inhibiting plasma kallikrein-mediated activation of factor XII and thereby reducing the positive feedback amplification of the kallikrein system by the contact activation system.
Therefore, inhibition of plasma kallikrein reduces the binding of plasma kallikrein to collagen, thus reducing the interference of plasma kallikrein in the cessation of bleeding. Therefore plasma kallikrein inhibitors would be useful in the treatment of treating cerebral haemorrhage and bleeding from post operative surgery. For example, Liu et al. (Nat Med., 2011, 17, 206-210) demonstrated that systemic administration of a small molecule PK inhibitor, ASP-440, reduced hematoma expansion in rats. Cerebral hematoma may occur following intracerebral haemorrhage and is caused by bleeding from blood vessels into the surrounding brain tissue as a result of vascular injury. Bleeding in the cerebral haemorrhage model reported by Liu et al. was induced by surgical intervention involving an incision in the brain parenchyma that damaged blood vessels. These data demonstrate that plasma kallikrein inhibition reduced bleeding and hematoma volume from post operative surgery. Björkqvist et al. (Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 2013, 110, 399-407) demonstrated that aprotinin (a protein that inhibits serine proteases including plasma kallikrein) may be used to decrease postoperative bleeding.
Other complications of diabetes such as cerebral haemorrhage, nephropathy, cardiomyopathy and neuropathy, all of which have associations with plasma kallikrein may also be considered as targets for a plasma kallikrein inhibitor.
Synthetic and small molecule plasma kallikrein inhibitors have been described previously, for example by Garrett et al. ("Peptide aldehyde . . . ." J. Peptide Res. 52, p 62-71 (1998)), T. Griesbacher et al. ("Involvement of tissue kallikrein but not plasma kallikrein in the development of symptoms mediated by endogenous kinins in acute pancreatitis in rats" British Journal of Pharmacology 137, p 692-700 (2002)), Evans ("Selective dipeptide inhibitors of kallikrein" WO03/076458), Szelke et al. ("Kininogenase inhibitors" WO92/04371), D. M. Evans et al. (Immunolpharmacology, 32, p 115-116 (1996)), Szelke et al. ("Kininogen inhibitors" WO95/07921), Antonsson et al. ("New peptides derivatives" WO94/29335), J. Corte et al. ("Six membered heterocycles useful as serine protease inhibitors" WO2005/123680), J. Stürzbecher et al. (Brazilian J. Med. Biol. Res 27, p 1929-34 (1994)), Kettner et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,157), N. Teno et al. (Chem. Pharm. Bull. 41, p 1079-1090 (1993)), W. B. Young et al. ("Small molecule inhibitors of plasma kallikrein" Bioorg. Med. Chem. Letts. 16, p 2034-2036 (2006)), Okada et al. ("Development of potent and selective plasmin and plasma kallikrein inhibitors and studies on the structure-activity relationship" Chem. Pharm. Bull. 48, p 1964-72 (2000)), Steinmetzer et al. ("Trypsin-like serine protease inhibitors and their preparation and use" WO08/049595), Zhang et al. ("Discovery of highly potent small molecule kallikrein inhibitors" Medicinal Chemistry 2, p 545-553 (2006)), Sinha et al. ("Inhibitors of plasma kallikrein" WO08/016883), Shigenaga et al. ("Plasma Kallikrein Inhibitors" WO2011/118672), and Kolte et al. ("Biochemical characterization of a novel high-affinity and specific kallikrein inhibitor", British Journal of Pharmacology (2011), 162(7), 1639-1649). Also, Steinmetzer et al. ("Serine protease inhibitors" WO2012/004678) describes cyclized peptide analogs which are inhibitors of human plasmin and plasma kallikrein.
To date, the only selective plasma kallikrein inhibitor approved for medical use is Ecallantide. Ecallantide is formulated as a solution for injection. It is a large protein plasma kallikrein inhibitor that presents a risk of anaphylactic reactions. Other plasma kallikrein inhibitors known in the art are generally small molecules, some of which include highly polar and ionisable functional groups, such as guanidines or amidines. Recently, plasma kallikrein inhibitors that do not feature guanidine or amidine functionalities have been reported. For example Brandi et al. ("N-((6-amino-pyridin-3-yl)methyl)-heteroaryl-carboxamides as inhibitors of plasma kallikrein" WO2012/017020), Evans et al. ("Benzylamine derivatives as inhibitors of plasma kallikrein" WO2013/005045), Allan et al. ("Benzylamine derivatives" WO2014/108679), Davie et al. ("Heterocyclic derivates" WO2014/188211), and Davie et al. ("N-((het)arylmethyl)-heteroaryl-carboxamides compounds as plasma kallikrein inhibitors" WO2016/083820).
In the manufacture of pharmaceutical formulations, it is important that the active compound be in a form in which it can be conveniently handled and processed in order to obtain a commercially viable manufacturing process. Accordingly, the chemical stability and the physical stability of the active compound are important factors. The active compound, and formulations containing it, must be capable of being effectively stored over appreciable periods of time, without exhibiting any significant change in the physico-chemical characteristics (e.g. chemical composition, density, hygroscopicity and solubility) of the active compound.
It is known that manufacturing a particular solid-state form of a pharmaceutical ingredient can affect many aspects of its solid state properties and offer advantages in aspects of solubility, dissolution rate, chemical stability, mechanical properties, technical feasibility, processability, pharmacokinetics and bioavailability. Some of these are described in "Handbook of Pharmaceutical Salts; Properties, Selection and Use", P. Heinrich Stahl, Camille G. Wermuth (Eds.) (Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta, Zurich). Methods of manufacturing solid-state forms are also described in "Practical Process Research and Development", Neal G. Anderson (Academic Press, San Diego) and "Polymorphism: In the Pharmaceutical Industry", Rolf Hilfiker (Ed) (Wiley VCH). Polymorphism in pharmaceutical crystals is described in Byrn (Byrn, S. R., Pfeiffer, R. R., Stowell, J. G., "Solid-State Chemistry of Drugs", SSCI Inc., West Lafayette, Ind., 1999), Brittain, H. G., "Polymorphism in Pharmaceutical Solids", Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, Basel, 1999) or Bernstein (Bernstein, J., "Polymorphism in Molecular Crystals", Oxford University Press, 2002).
The applicant has developed a novel series of compounds that are inhibitors of plasma kallikrein, which are disclosed in WO2016/083820 (PCT/GB2015/053615). These compounds demonstrate good selectivity for plasma kallikrein and are potentially useful in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy, macular edema and hereditary angioedema. One such compound is N-[(3-fluoro-4-methoxypyridin-2-yl)methyl]-3-(methoxymethyl)-1-({4-[(2-oxopyridin-1-yl)methyl]phenyl}methyl)pyrazole-4-carboxamide. The name N-[(3-fluoro-4-methoxypyridin-2-yl)methyl]-3-(methoxymethyl)-1-({4-[(2-oxopyridin-1-yl)methyl]phenyl}methyl)pyrazole-4-carboxamide denotes the structure depicted in Formula A.

Initial attempts to prepare the compound of Formula A were performed by evaporation of the 1% ammonia-methanol/DCM solvent used during chromatography to yield a foam with XRPD data that shows mainly amorphous content. The applicant developed a novel solid form of this compound (herein referred to as 'Form 1') which has advantageous physico-chemical properties that render it suitable for development. Form 1 is disclosed in PCT/GB2017/051579 as Form 1. The applicant also developed a novel solid form of this compound (herein referred to as 'Form 3') which has advantageous physico-chemical properties that render it suitable for development. Form 3 is disclosed in PCT/GB2017/051579 as Form 3.
Four solid forms of the compound of Formula A have been isolated and characterised to date, which are disclosed in PCT/GB2017/051579. These solid forms are referred to as 'Form 1', 'Form 2', 'Form 3', and 'Form 4' in PCT/GB2017/051579.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an oral solid dosage form comprising Form 1 of the compound of Formula A. The invention is also concerned with providing methods of preparing oral solid dosage forms comprising the compound of Formula A using Form 1 of the compound of Formula A.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an oral solid dosage form comprising Form 3 of the compound of Formula A. The invention is also concerned with providing methods of preparing oral solid dosage forms comprising the compound of Formula A using Form 3 of the compound of Formula A.

Dosage forms comprising a plasma kallikrein inhibitor


A method for dry etching for forming a contact hole in a silicon oxide interlayer insulating film is proposed, by which high etchrate, high selectivity, low pollution and low damage may be achieved. An etching gas containing cyclic saturated fluorocarbon compounds, such as octafluorocyclobutane (c-C.sub.4 F.sub.8), or cyclic unsaturated fluorocarbon compounds, such as hexafluorocyclobutene (c-C.sub.4 F.sub.6), is used, and the wafer temperature is controlled to be 50.degree. C. or lower. Both of the compounds are higher fluorocarbon compounds having three or more carbon atoms and yield more CF.sub.x.sup.+ radicals per molecule than does CF.sub.4 or the like compound to enable etching with a high etch rate. Besides, as compared with straight-chain saturated fluorocarbon compounds having the same number of carbon atoms, the above compounds exhibit a higher C/F ratio (the ratio of the number of carbon atoms to that of fluorine atoms per molecule) to permit carbonaceous polymers to be deposited effectively. In this manner, high selectivity and low damage basically may be achieved without using deposition gases simultaneously, with the result that low pollution may also be achieved.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dry etching method employed for the preparation of semiconductor devices. Note particularly, it relates to a dry etching method for dry etching a layer of a silicon compound at a high etchrate with excellent resist selectivity and silicon underlying layer selectivity with the least risk of pollution by particles.
2. Description of the Related Art
In keeping up with the high integration and high performance of semiconductor ,devices, such as VLSIs and ULSIs of recent origin, technical demands placed on the methods for dry etching of a layer of a silicon compound, exemplified by silicon oxide, are becoming increasingly strict.
That is, the wafer size and the device chip area are increased with increase in the degree of integration, whilst the degree of refinement of the pattern to be formed is also increasing. Consequently, for assuring etching uniformity in a wafer surface, the tendency is towards using a wafer-by-wafer type etching system in preference to the conventional batch type etching system. For maintaining productivity comparable to that achieved heretofore, it is mandatory to elevate the etch rate significantly.
Under the current status of the art in which, for increasing the operation speed and reducing the size of semiconductor devices, the depth of junction of the impurity diffusion region is becoming shallow and a variety of deposited films are reduced in thicknesses, a demand is presented for an etching technique which is more excellent in underlying layer selectivity and less subject to damages than the conventional etching technique. This is the case with etching a silicon oxide interlayer insulating film which is performed with a silicon substrate or a polysilicon layer as an underlying layer for forming a contact to an impurity diffusion region formed in a semiconductor substrate or to a source-drain region of a pMOS transistor used as a resistor load for SRAMs.
It is also mandatory to improve resist selectivity. In submicron devices, even the slightest dimensional loss due to recession of the resist material is not tolerated.
However, such properties as high etchrate, high selectivity and low damages are matters of trade-off such that it is extremely difficult to arrive at an etching process which will satisfy these requirements simultaneously.
Heretofore, when etching a layer of a silicon compound, such as silicon oxide, while maintaining high selectivity against a layer of the silicon-based material, CHF.sub.3, a CF.sub.4 /H.sub.2 mixed system, a CF.sub.4 /O.sub.2 mixed system or a C.sub.2 F.sub.6 /CHF.sub.3 mixed system has been customarily employed as an etching gas. These etching gases are unanimously based on fluorocarbon based gases having a C/F ratio (the ratio of the number of carbon atoms to that of fluorine atoms) of not less than 0.25. These gas systems are used because (a) the carbon contained in the fluorocarbon gases generates C--O bond having a high interatomic bond energy on the surface of the silicon oxide layer to disrupt or otherwise weaken the Si--O bond of the silicon oxide layer, (b) CF.sub.x.sup.+ ions, above all, CF.sub.3.sup.+ ions, which are main etchants for the silicon oxide layer, may be generated, and (c) a relatively carbon-rich atmosphere is produced in a plasma and hence oxygen in silicon oxide is removed in the forms of CO or CO.sub.2, whereas a carbonaceous polymer is deposited on the surface of the layer of the silicon-based material, due to contribution of C, H or F contained in the gas, thereby lowering the etch rate and improving selectivity against the silicon-based layer.
Meanwhile, the above mentioned addition gases H.sub.2 or O.sub.2 are used for controlling selectivity and is capable of reducing or increasing the amount of generation of F.sup.* ions, respectively. That is, these addition gases are effective in controlling the apparent C/F ratio of the etching system.
On the other hand, the present Assignee has proposed in JP Patent Publication KOKAI NO. 3-276626 a method for dry etching of a layer of a silicon compound using a saturated or unsaturated straight-chain higher fluorocarbon gas having two or more carbon atoms. With this prior-art dry etching method, higher fluorocarbon gases, such as C.sub.2 F.sub.6, C.sub.3 F.sub.8, C.sub.4 F.sub.10 or C.sub.4 F.sub.8, are used for efficient generation of CF.sub.x.sup.+ for raising the etchrate However if the higher fluorocarbon gas is used alone, resist selectivity or silicon underlying layer selectivity can not be increased. Although a high etchrate is achieved when a silicon oxide layer on a silicon substrate is etched using, for example, C.sub.3 F.sub.8 as an etching gas, resist selectivity is as low as about 1.3 and resistance to etching falls short while the dimensional loss is produced due to pattern edge recession. Resistance to overetching also falls short because silicon selectivity is of the order of 4.1. For overcoming these drawbacks, two-stage etching is used in the above described prior art method in such a manner that etching with the straight-chain higher fluorocarbon gas alone is continued until immediately before the underlying layer is exposed, and etching of the remaining portion of the layer of the silicon compound is performed using the above gas added to by a hydrocarbon based gas for promoting deposition of the carbon-based polymer.
However, under the current status of the art in which the design rule of the semiconductor devices has been refined to a higher extent the dimensional loss in connection with the etching mask is hardly tolerated, such that even with the two-stage etching as described above, it becomes necessary to improve selectivity further during the first-stage etching. Since the effects of pollution by particles of the carbonaceous polymer are feared to become more acute in future with progress in the refinement of the semiconductor design rule, it is highly desirable that the amount of consumption of deposition gases such as hydrocarbon gases during the second stage etching be reduced to as small a value as possible.
In view thereof, the present inventors have already proposed a method of etching a layer of a silicon compound using a straight-chain fluorocarbon gas having at least one unsaturated bond per molecule while the wafer temperature is controlled to a temperature not higher than 50.degree. C. Since the straight-chain unsaturated fluorocarbon gas theoretically yields two or more CF.sub.x.sup.+ ions per molecule by discharge dissociation, silicon oxide may be etched at a high etchrate with the use of this etching gas. Polymerization of the carbonaceous polymer is accelerated because the etching gas contains unsaturated bonds in the molecule thereof and tends to produce highly active radicals on dissociation. Besides, deposition of the carbonaceous polymer is accelerated because the wafer temperature is controlled to 50.degree. C. or lower. The result is improved resist selectivity and silicon underlying layer selectivity.
In the above described method by the present inventors, there has also been disclosed a technique in which etching with the straight-chain unsaturated fluorocarbon gas alone is continued until the time the layer of the silicon compound is etched halfway and the remaining portion of etching is performed using the above mentioned straight-chain unsaturated fluorocarbon gas, added to by the hydrocarbon gas, as an etching gas. With this technique, the deposition gas is used simultaneously during the latter half of the etching for further improving selectivity against the underlying silicon layer.
There is also disclosed in JP Patent KOKAI Publication No. 16-0938 a technique of etching silicon oxide using a mixed gas of hexafluorobenzene (C.sub.6 F.sub.6) and tetrafluoromethane (CF.sub.4) as an etching gas. With this technique, which is based on the concept similar to that shown in the above described present Inventors' proposal it contemplated to generate is CF.sub.x.sup.+ in a plasma efficiently by using cyclic unsaturated higher fluorocarbon gases, as well as to promote polymerization of the carbonaceous polymer.
It is noted that as will be apparent from above, it has been necessary with the previously proposed technique of employing straight-chain unsaturated fluorocarbon gases or cyclic unsaturated fluorocarbon gases to use other addition gases simultaneously for achieving high selectivity.
On the other hand, with the technique of employing C.sub.6 F.sub.6, the etching gas can not be constituted by C.sub.6 F.sub.6 alone, as stated in the specification of the JP Patent Publication which has disclosed the technique. It is because a large quantity of CF.sub.x.sup.+ ions are produced in the plasma with the use of C.sub.6 F.sub.6 alone to promote polymerization of the carbonaceous polymer excessively to interfere with the progress of the etching reaction. For this reason, CF.sub.4 having the lowest C/F ratio among the fluorocarbon gases is mixed with C.sub.6 F.sub.6 for suppressing generation of CF.sub.x.sup.+.
Consequently, when the cyclic high fluorocarbon gases are employed, it is more meritorious to use such gas as may be used alone for improving etching stability and controllability.