An image forming apparatus has an interface portion for processing image information, a power supply device for supplying power to the interface portion, an opening/closing member capable of opening or closing relative to a main body of the apparatus, and a cover capable of opening the interface portion. In the image forming apparatus, the supply of the power from the power supply device to the interface portion is interrupted in an open state of the opening/closing member, and opening of the cover is prohibited in a close state of the opening/closing member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image forming apparatus such as electrophotographic copiers, printers, word processors, facsimile machines, and so on for forming an image on a recording medium and, more particularly, to image forming apparatus equipped with an interface portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
A laser printer will be described below as an example of the image forming apparatus adopting the electrophotographic method and other recording methods.
FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a conventional laser beam printer, in which a recording material is conveyed almost horizontally from sheet feeding means 102 via transferring means 109 to fixing means 111, in which there are provided image forming means including a process cartridge 107 and others and light source means 105 including a laser scanner and others above the conveyed surface of the recording material, and which is constructed to feed the recording material, transfer a toner image onto the recording material, and thermally fix the toner image on the recording material.
Further, an electrical portion 115, in which power supplies for supplying AC, DC, and a high voltage for the apparatus and a control circuit for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus are integrated, is located in the lower part of the apparatus, and is connected through connectors 115a and 130c to an interface portion 130 for exchanging image signals with a computer or a network outside the apparatus through cable 132 so as to process or prepare image data. The image data processed and prepared at this interface portion 130 is sent via the electrical portion 115 to the light source means 105 connected through cable 118, whereby a photosensitive body 108 is exposed to scanning light modulated according to the image data to form a latent image thereon.
FIG. 11 is another sectional view obtained at another position in a direction normal to the plane of the drawing in FIG. 10 and shows a mounted state of an add-on such as a memory card 133 or the like on the interface portion 130. The user is allowed to open an access cover 134, provided on the back side of an exterior housing 113, around a hinge shaft 134a and load or unload the memory card 133 through an aperture 113a onto or out of the interface portion 130.
The user can also mount or dismount a process cartridge 107 by opening a door 116 around a shaft 116a, as shown in FIG. 12.
At this time, in order to protect the user, supply of power from the electrical portion 115 is halted in synchronism with the opening action of the door 116 by an unrepresented interlock mechanism.
However, the conventional image forming apparatus as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 involves a possibility that the loading/unloading work of the add-on is carried out even during supply of power in the main body of the apparatus, so that the interface portion 130 can be electrically broken during the work. In order to avoid it, it was necessary to provide an interlock switch interlocked with the access cover, in addition to the interlock mechanism interlocked with the opening/closing action of the door 116, and this resulted in the disadvantage of cost increase.
There was another problem of poor workability, because the add-on such as the memory card 133 or the like had to be loaded or unloaded through the narrow aperture 113a onto or out of the interface portion 130.
A first object of the present invention is to provide image forming apparatus that can enhance the loading/unloading workability of the add-on, prevent the electrical breakage of the interface portion, and ensure the user""s safety.
A second object of the present invention is to provide image forming apparatus comprising an interface portion for processing image information, power supply means for supplying power to the interface portion, an opening/closing member capable of opening or closing relative to a main body of the apparatus, and a cover capable of exposing the interface portion, wherein the supply of power from the power supply means to the interface portion is shut off in an open state of the opening/closing member and wherein opening of the cover is prohibited in a close state of the opening/closing member.
A third object of the present invention is to provide image forming apparatus comprising an interface portion for processing image information, power supply means for supplying power to the interface portion, an opening/closing member capable of opening or closing relative to a main body of the apparatus, and a cover capable of exposing the interface portion, wherein the supply of power from the power supply means to the interface portion is shut off in an open state of the opening/closing member and wherein closing of the opening/closing member is prohibited in an open state of the cover.
Further objects of the present invention will become apparent by the description which follows.


An optical recording medium having a substrate and at least a recording layer disposed on the substrate, the recording layer comprising at least one squarylium metal chelate compound which comprises a squarylium compound and a metal; and at least one azo metal chelate compound which comprises another metal and an azo compound expressed by the following formula (A-I):

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical recording medium, an optical recording method, and an optical recording device, and particularly to an optical recording medium capable of recording information therein, reproducing the information thereof, and overwriting therein by exposing them to light beams, thereby causing a change in optical properties in the transmittance and reflectivity of the recording material constituting the media.
2. Description of the Related Art
a. Related Art Concerning an Optical Recording Medium Having Overwritable Capability (for Information Recording):
(1) A recording medium using a cyanine dye as a recording material: disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 82093/1982, 56892/1983, 112790/1983, 114989/1983, 85791/1984, 83236/1985, 89842/1985, and 25886/1986.
(2) A recording medium using a phthalocyanine dye as a recording material: disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 150243/1986, 177287/1986, 154888/1986, 246091/1986, 39286/1987, 37991/1988, and 39888/1988.
b. Related Art Concerning Compact Disc Recordable (CD-R) Which is Overwritable:
(1) Those using the combination of a cyanine dye and a metal reflective layer as a recording material: disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 159842/1989, 42652/1990, 13656/1990, and 168446/1990.
(2) Those using a phthalocyanine dye (azaanulene dye) as a recording material: disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 176585/1989, 215466/1991, 113886/1992, 226390/1992, 1272/1993, 171052/1993, 116456/1993, 268227/1995, and 314897/1995.
(3) Those using an azo metal chelate dye as a recording material: disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 46186/1992, 141489/1992, 361088/1992, 279580/1993, 51673/1995, 161069/1995, 37272/1995, 71867/1995, 231866/1996, and 295811/1996.
c. Related Art Concerning a Digital Versatile Disc Recordable (DVD-R) Having a Large Capacity:
(1) Those using the combination of a cyanine dye and a metal reflective layer as a recording material: reported in PIONEER RandD vol. 6, No. 2 (1996), xe2x80x9cDevelopment of DVD-Recordablexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cFundamental Development of DVD-R dye discxe2x80x9d; ISOM/ODS ""96 (1996), and xe2x80x9cHigh Density of Recording on Dye Material Disc Approach for 4.7Gxe2x80x9d.
(2) Those using a polymethine dye as a recording material: disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 83577/1998, 119434/1998, 149583/1998, 188339/1998 and 278426/1998.
(3) Those using the combination of a polymethine dye and an optical stabilizing material as a recording material: disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 109475/1998, 109476/1998, 134413/1998 and 166739/1998.
(4) Those using the combination of an azo metal chelate dye and a metal reflective layer as a recording material; disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 67438/1993 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 161069/1995, 156408/1996, 231866/1996, 332772/1996, 58123/1997, 175031/1997, 193545/1998, 274732/1998, 277703/1997, 6644/1998, 6650/1998, 6651/1998, 36693/1998, 44606/1998, 58828/1998, 86519/1998, 149584/1998, 157293/1998, 157300/1998, 157301/1998, 157302/1998, 181199/1998, 181201/1998, 181203/1998, 181206/1998, 188340/1998, 188341/1998, 188358/1998, 208303/1998, 214423/1998, 228671/1998, and 12483/1999.
(5) Those using the combination of a tetraazaporphyrin (polphyrazine) dye and a metal reflective layer as a recording material: disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 267562/1997, 309268/1997 and 856/1998.
(6) Those using, as a recording material, the combination of a dye other than those described above and a metal reflective layer: disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 86517/1998, 93788/1998, 226172/1998, 244752/1998, 287819/1998, 297103/1998, 309871/1998, and 309872/1998.
(7) Those using, as a recording material, the combination of a cyanine dye, an azo metal chelate dye (salt forming dye) and a metal reflective layer: disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 51682/1995 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 34499/1999, WO98/29257, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 323478/1997, 195242/1999, 250505/1999, 168237/2000, 190641/2000, 190642/2000 and 198273/2000.
(8) Those using, as a recording material, the combination of a formazan (metal chelate) dye and a dye other than those described above: disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2791944, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 295079/1996, 95520/1997, 193546/1997 and 337958/1998.
(9) Those using, as a recording material, the combination of a dipyrromethene (metal chelate) dye and a dye other than those described above: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 162430/1998, 166732/1998, 226172/1998, 42858/1999, 92682/1999, 165465/1998, 208111/1999, 227332/1999, 227333/1999, 255774/1999 and 256057/1999.
As described above, a number of optical recording media have been so far proposed. Now, DVD-R is under development as a next generation disc with a large capacity. To increase the recording capacity of DVD-R, development of various recording materials that can minimize the size of a recording pit, adoption of image compression techniques such as MPEG 2 and technical development to shorten the wavelength of a semiconductor laser for the recording pit reading are necessary.
An AlGaInP laser diode having a wavelength of 670 nm is the only red semiconductor laser available in the market for use in a bar code reader and a measuring instrument. With a trend toward high-density optical discs, the red semiconductor laser has been introduced into the optical storage market.
To standardize a driving system for a DVD, laser diodes having wavelengths of 630 and 670 nm are employed now for a light source. On the other hand, driving systems for a read-only DVD-ROM are put on the market, with the light sources for the driving systems having a wavelength of about 650 nm. Under such circumstances, the most preferred are DVD-R media capable of recording information therein and reading the information therefrom at wavelengths of 630 to 690 nm. A squarylium compound can be given as one example of the materials used for a recording layer of an optical recording medium which carries out recording and reading by the light pickup using a laser having a wavelength of 630 to 690 nm. The squarylium compound however is not generally suited for use in an optical recording medium because of insufficient photo stability. An azo metal chelate compound, on the other hand, can be given as one example of a dye having high light resistance. However, it involves the problem that the reflectivity is insufficient when it is used alone as a recording material.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a recording material for an optical recording medium suited for a DVD-R system using a semiconductor laser having an oscillation wavelength in a short wavelength region compared with the above-described conventional system, an optical recording medium showing excellent light resistance and shelf life, in particular, when it contains a squarylium compound; an optical recording method and an optical recording device each using the above-described optical recording medium.
The present inventors have carried out an extensive investigation. As a result, it has been found that an optical recording medium with high reliability, high reflectivity and low jitter can be provided by using a metal-chelated squarylium compound, thereby improving optical stability; by mixing therewith an azo metal chelate compound having high light resistance, thereby imparting the recording medium with higher light resistance and higher shelf life; and by using a metal-chelated squarylium compound, thereby improving the absorption coefficient of the recording medium, leading to the completion of the first and second optical recording media of the present invention.
It has also been found that an optical recording medium suitable for use in a next-generation optical disc system with a large capacity using a semiconductor laser having an oscillation wavelength of 690 nm or less and at the same time having excellent light resistance and shelf life is available by using, as a main component of a recording layer, a mixture of a dye obtained by metal chelating a squarylium compound and a formazan metal chelate compound, leading to the completion of the third optical recording medium of the present invention.
It has further been found that an optical recording medium suitable for use in a next-generation optical disc system with a large capacity using a semiconductor laser having an oscillation wavelength of 690 nm or less is available by using as the main component of a recording layer, a mixture of a squarylium compound and a formazan metal chelate compound, leading to the completion of the fourth optical recording medium of the present invention.
The first recording medium of the present invention is described below in  less than A-1 greater than . Preferred embodiments of the first optical recording medium will be described below in  less than A-2 greater than  to  less than A-12 greater than .
 less than A-1 greater than
An optical recording medium comprising a substrate and at least a recording layer disposed on the substrate, the recording layer comprises: at least one squarylium metal chelate compound which comprises a squarylium compound and a metal; and at least one azo metal chelate compound which comprises another metal and an azo compound expressed by the following formula (A-I):
where A and B each independently expresses a residue forming one of a) a heterocyclic ring which may comprise a substituent and b) aromatic ring which may comprise a substituent, by combination with corresponding carbon atoms respectively bonded to A or B, and X expresses an active-hydrogen-containing substituent group.
 less than A-2 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than A-1 greater than , wherein a contained amount of the squarylium metal chelate compound and the azo metal chelate compound are at a weight ratio ranging from 90:10 to 20:80.
 less than A-3 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than A-1 greater than , wherein the metal atom of the azo metal chelate compound is at least one metal atom selected from the group consisting of manganese, cobalt, nickel and copper.
 less than A-4 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than A-1 greater than , wherein the azo metal chelate compound is ionized and forms a salt with another compound ion.
 less than A-5 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than A-4 greater than , wherein the another compound ion has an amino group.
 less than A-6 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than A-1 greater than , wherein the squarylium metal chelate compound is expressed by the following formula (A-II):
where, R1 and R2 are substituent groups which may be the same or may be different, and each expresses a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, or a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent; M1 expresses a metal atom having a coordination capacity; Z expresses an aryl group which may have a substituent, a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent, or Yxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94 (Y expresses a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent); and m1 stands for an integer of 2 or 3.
 less than A-7 greater than
The optical recording medium of according to  less than A-6 greater than , wherein Z in the formula (A-II) is expressed by the following formula (A-IIxe2x80x94II):
where, R3 and R4 may be the same or may be different and each expresses an alkyl group which may have a substituent, or R3 and R4 may form an alicyclic hydrocarbon ring or a heterocyclic ring by combination with adjacent carbon atoms; R5 expresses a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, or an aryl group which may have a substituent; R6 expresses a halogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, a nitro group, a cyano group, or an alkoxy group which may have a substituent, n stands for an integer of 0 to 4, with the proviso that when n stands for 2 to 4, R6 may be the same or may be different to each other and by combination with the adjacent two carbon atoms form an aromatic ring which may have a substituent.
 less than A-8 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than A-6 greater than , wherein M1 expresses aluminum.
 less than A-9 greater than
The optical recording medium of according to  less than A-1 greater than , wherein a single layer of the recording layer has a refractive index (n) of 1.5xe2x89xa6nxe2x89xa63.0 a refractive index (n) of a single layer of the recording layer is 1.5xe2x89xa6nxe2x89xa63.0, and an extinction coefficient (k) is 0.02xe2x89xa6kxe2x89xa60.3 against a light having a wavelength in the range of recording or reproducing wavelength xc2x15 nm.
 less than A-10 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than A-1 greater than , further comprising a reflective layer containing gold, silver, copper, aluminum or an alloy thereof
 less than A-11 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than A-1 greater than , wherein a track pitch on the substrate falls within a range of 0.7 to 0.8 xcexcm, and a groove width at a half bandwidth falls within a range of 0.18 to 0.40 xcexcm.
 less than A-12 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than A-1 greater than , wherein the optical recording medium can be recorded at a wavelength of 600 to 720 nm.
In the embodiments  less than A-1 greater than  to  less than A-8 greater than  and  less than A-12 greater than , optical information recording media capable of recording and reading by a laser light within a wavelength range of 600 nm to 720 nm, and having excellent light resistance and shelf life can be provided. In particular, the optical recording media obtained above are superior in light resistance to those using a squarylium metal chelate compound alone.
In the embodiments  less than A-9 greater than  to  less than A-11 greater than , optical recording media, in addition to having the above-described advantages, capable of recording and reading at a stably high reflectivity and high degree of modulation can be provided.
The second optical recording medium of the present invention is described below in  less than B-1 greater than . The preferred embodiments of the second optical recording medium will be described below in  less than B-2 greater than  to  less than B-10 greater than .
 less than B-1 greater than
An optical recording medium having a substrate and at least a recording layer disposed on the substrate, the recording layer comprising: at least one squarylium metal chelate compound which comprises a squarylium compound and a metal; and at least one azo metal chelate compound which comprises another metal and an azo compound expressed by the following formula (B-I):
where A expresses a residue forming a heterocyclic ring which may have a substituent by combination with both the carbon atom and the nitrogen atom bonded to A, and B expresses a residue forming one of a) an aromatic ring which may have a substituent and b) a heterocyclic ring which may have a substituent, by combination with the two carbon atoms bonded to B, and X expresses an active-hydrogen-containing substituent group.
 less than B-2 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than B-1 greater than , wherein the squarylium metal chelate compound and the azo metal chelate compound are contained in the recording layer at a weight ratio of 90:10 to 20:80.
 less than B-3 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than B-1 greater than , wherein the metal atom of the azo metal chelate compound is at least one metal atom selected from the group consisting of manganese, cobalt, nickel and copper.
 less than B-4 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than B-1 greater than , wherein the squarylium metal chelate compound is expressed by the following formula (A-II):
where, R1 and R2 are substituent groups which may be the same or may be different, and each expresses a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent or a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent; M1 expresses a metal atom having a coordination capacity; Z expresses an aryl group which may have a substituent, a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent, or Yxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94 (Y expresses a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent); and m1 stands for an integer of 2 or 3.
 less than B-5 greater than
The optical recording medium of  less than B-3 greater than , wherein Z in the formula (A-II) is expressed by the following formula (A-II-II):
where, R3 and R4 may be the same or may be different and each expresses an alkyl group which may have a substituent, or R3 and R4 form an alicyclic hydrocarbon ring or a heterocyclic ring by combination with the adjacent carbon atoms; R5 expresses a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent or an aryl group which may have a substituent; R6 expresses a halogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, a nitro group, a cyano group, or an alkoxy group which may have a substituent, n stands for an integer of 0 to 4, with the proviso that when n stands for 2 to 4, R6 may be the same or may be different to each other and form an aromatic ring which may have a substituent, by combination with the adjacent two carbon atoms.
 less than B-6 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than B-3 greater than , wherein M1 expresses aluminum.
 less than B-7 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than B-1 greater than , wherein a refractive index (n) of a single layer of the recording layer is 1.5xe2x89xa6nxe2x89xa63.0 and an extinction coefficient (k) is 0.02xe2x89xa6kxe2x89xa60.3 against the light having a wavelength range of a recording or reproducing wavelength xc2x15 nm.
 less than B-8 greater than
The optical recording medium of  less than B-1 greater than , further comprising a reflective layer containing gold, silver, copper, aluminum or an alloy thereof.
 less than B-9 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than B-1 greater than , wherein a track pitch on the substrate falls within a range of 0.7 to 0.8 xcexcm, and groove width at a half bandwidth falls within a range of 0.18 to 0.40 xcexcm.
 less than B-10 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than B-1 greater than , wherein the optical recording medium is recordable at a wavelength of 600 to 720 nm.
In the embodiments of  less than B-1 greater than  to  less than B-6 greater than  and  less than B-10 greater than , optical information recording media capable of recording and reading by a laser light within a wavelength range of 600 nm to 720 nm, and having excellent light resistance and shelf life can be provided. In particular, the optical recording media obtained above are superior in light resistance to those using a squarylium metal chelate compound alone.
In the embodiments  less than B-7 greater than  to  less than B-9 greater than , optical recording media, in addition to having the above-described advantages, capable of recording and reading at a stably high reflectivity and high degree of modulation can be provided.
The third optical recording medium of the present invention is described below in  less than C-1 greater than . The preferred embodiments of the second optical recording medium will be described below in  less than C-2 greater than  to  less than C-10 greater than .
 less than C-1 greater than
An optical recording medium comprising a substrate and at least a recording layer disposed on the substrate, the recording layer comprises: at least one squarylium metal chelate compound which comprises a squarylium compound and a metal; and at least one formazan metal chelate compound which comprises another metal and at least one of a formazan compound expressed by one of the following formulae (C-I) and (C-II):
where, Z expresses a residue forming a 5-membered or 6-membered nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ring which may have a substituent by combination with both the carbon atom and the nitrogen atom bonded to Z, and may be condensed with another aromatic ring; A expresses an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, an alkylcarbonyl group which may have a substituent, an arylcarbonyl group which may have a substituent, an alkenyl group which may have a substituent, a heterocyclic residue which may have a substituent, or an alkoxycarbonyl group which may have a substituent; and B expresses an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an alkenyl group which may have a substituent or an aryl group which may have a substituent,
where, Z1 and Z2 each expresses a residue forming a 5-membered or 6-membered nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ring which may have a substituent by combination with both the carbon atom and the nitrogen atom bonded to Z1 and Z2, respectively, and may be condensed with another aromatic ring; A1 and A2 each independently expresses an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, an alkylcarbonyl group which may have a substituent, an arylcarbonyl group which may have a substituent, an alkenyl group which may have a substituent, a heterocyclic residue which may have a substituent, or an alkoxycarbonyl group which may have a substituent; B1 and B2 each independently expresses an alkylene group which may have a substituent or an arylene group which may have a substituent; W expresses xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94; and n stands for an integer of 0 or 1.
 less than C-2 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than C-1 greater than , wherein the squarylium metal chelate compound and the formazan metal chelate compound are contained in the recording layer at a weight ratio of 90:10 to 50:50.
 less than C-3 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than C-1 greater than , wherein the metal atom of the formazan metal chelate compound is at least one metal atom selected from the group consisting of vanadium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc and palladium, and oxides or halides thereof.
 less than C-4 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than C-1 greater than , wherein the squarylium metal chelate compound is expressed by the following formula (A-II):
where, R1 and R2 are substituent groups which may be the same or may be different, and each expresses a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent or a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent; M1 expresses a metal atom having a coordination capacity; Z expresses an aryl group which may have a substituent, a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent, or Yxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94 (Y representing a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent); and m1 stands for an integer of 2 or 3.
 less than C-5 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than C-4 greater than , wherein Z in the formula (A-II) is expressed by the following formula (A-II-II):
where, R3 and R4 may be the same or may be different and each expresses an alkyl group which may have a substituent, or R3 and R4 form an alicyclic hydrocarbon ring or a heterocyclic ring by combination with the adjacent carbon atoms; R5 expresses a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, or an aryl group which may have a substituent; R6 expresses a halogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, a nitro group, a cyano group, or an alkoxy group which may have a substituent, n stands for a n integer of 0 to 4, with the proviso that when n stands for 2 to 4, R6 may be the same or may be different to each other and form an aromatic ring which may have a substituent by combination with the adjacent two carbon atoms.
 less than C-6 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than C-4 greater than , wherein M1 expresses aluminum.
 less than C-7 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than C-1 greater than , wherein a refractive index (n) of a single layer of the recording layer is 1.5xe2x89xa6nxe2x89xa63.0 and an extinction coefficient (k) is 0.02xe2x89xa6kxe2x89xa60.3 against the light having a wavelength range of a recording or reproducing wavelength xc2x15 nm.
 less than C-8 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than C-1 greater than , further comprising a reflective layer containing gold, silver, copper, aluminum, or an alloy thereof.
 less than C-9 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than C-1 greater than , wherein a track pitch on the substrate falls within a range of 0.7 to 0.8 xcexcm, and groove width at a half bandwidth falls within a range of 0.18 to 0.40 xcexcm.
 less than C-10 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than C-1 greater than , wherein the optical recording medium is recordable at a wavelength of 600 to 720 nm.
In the embodiments of  less than C-1 greater than  to  less than C-6 greater than  and  less than C-10 greater than , optical information recording medium capable of recording and reading by a laser light within a wavelength range of 600 nm to 720 nm, and having excellent light resistance and shelf life can be provided. In particular, the optical recording media obtained above are superior in light resistance to those using a squarylium metal chelate compound alone.
In the embodiments  less than C-7 greater than  and  less than C-8 greater than , optical recording media, in addition to having the above-described advantage, capable of recording and reading information at a stably high reflectivity and high degree of modulation can be provided.
In the embodiment  less than C-9 greater than , an optical recording medium, in addition to having the above-described advantages, capable of stably recording and reading information can be provided.
The fourth optical recording medium of the present invention is described below in  less than D-1 greater than . The preferred embodiments of the fourth optical recording medium will be described below in  less than D-2 greater than  to  less than D-8 greater than .
An optical recording medium comprising a substrate and at least a recording layer disposed on the substrate, the recording layer comprises: at least one squarylium compound; and at least one formazan metal chelate compound which comprises a metal and at least one of a formazan compound expressed by one of the following formulae (D-I) and (D-II):
where, Z expresses a residue forming a 5-membered or 6-membered nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ring which may have a substituent by combination with both the carbon atom and the nitrogen atom bonded to Z, and may be condensed with another aromatic ring; A expresses an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, an alkylcarbonyl group which may have a substituent, an arylcarbonyl group which may have a substituent, an alkenyl group which may have a substituent, a heterocyclic residue which may have a substituent, or an alkoxycarbonyl group which may have a substituent; and B expresses an alkyl group which may have a substituent or aryl group which may have a substituent;
where, Z1 and Z2 each expresses a residue forming a 5-membered or 6-membered nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ring which may have a substituent by combination with both the carbon atom and the nitrogen atom bonded to Z1 and Z2, respectively, and may be condensed with another aromatic ring; A1 and A2 each independently expresses an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, an alkylcarbonyl group which may have a substituent, an arylcarbonyl group which may have a substituent, an alkenyl group which may have a substituent, a heterocyclic residue which may have a substituent, or an alkoxycarbonyl group which may have a substituent; B1 and B2 each independently expresses an alkylene group which may have a substituent or an arylene group which may have a substituent; W expresses xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94; and m stands for an integer of 0 or 1.
 less than D-2 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than D-1 greater than , wherein the squarylium compound and the formazan metal chelate compound are contained in the recording layer at a weight ratio of 90:10 to 50:50.
 less than D-2 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than D-1 greater than , wherein the metal atom of the formazan metal chelate compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of vanadium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc and palladium, and oxides or halides thereof.
 less than D-3 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than D-1 greater than , wherein the metal atom of the formazan metal chelate compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of vanadium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc and palladium, and oxides or halides thereof.
 less than D-4 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than D-1 greater than , wherein the squarylium compound is at least one of a compound expressed by one of the following formulae (D-III) and (D-VI):
where, R1 and R2 may be the same or may be different, and each expresses a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, or a heterocyclic residue which may have a substituent, or R1 and R2 form a heterocyclic ring which may have a substituent by combination with the adjacent nitrogen atom; and R3 is a compound expressed by one of the following formulae (D-IV) and (D-V):
where, R4 and R5 may be the same or may be different and each independently expresses a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group which may have a substituent, or R4 and R5 form a heterocyclic ring which may have a substituent by combination with the adjacent nitrogen atom; and R6, R7, R8 and R9 may be the same or may be different and each independently expresses a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an alkoxy group which may have a substituent, a hydroxyl group or a halogen atom, a pair of R4 and R6 or a pair of R5 and R7 may form a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ring by combination with the adjacent Nxe2x80x94Cxe2x80x94C, the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ring which may have a substituent:
where, Q1 expresses a carbon atom or a nitrogen atom, R10 and R11 may be the same or may be different and each independently expresses a hydrogen atom an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent or a hydroxyl group, with the proviso that when Q1 expresses a nitrogen atom, R11 does not exist, R12 expresses a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent or an aralkyl group which may have a substituent; R13 and R14 may be the same or may be different and each independently expresses a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an alkoxy group which may have a substituent or a halogen atom, or R13 and R14 may form an alicyclic hydrocarbon ring, or an aromatic ring which may have a substituent, or a heterocyclic ring which may have a substituent, by combination with the adjacent two carbon atoms;
where, Q2 expresses a carbon atom or a nitrogen atom, R15 expresses a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent or a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent, R16 expresses a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an alkoxy group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, an amino group which may have a substituent or a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent, R17 and R18 may be the same or may be different and each independently expresses an alkyl group which may have a substituent, or R17 and R18 may form an alicyclic hydrocarbon ring or a heterocyclic ring which may have a substituent by combination with the adjacent carbon atom, with the proviso that Q2 expresses a nitrogen atom, R18 does not exist, R19 expresses a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, or an aryl group which may have a substituent, R20 expresses a halogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, a trifluoromethyl group, a nitro group, a cyano group, or an alkoxy group which may have a substituent, n stands for an integer of 0 to 4 with the proviso that when n stands for an integer of 2 to 4, R20s may be the same or may be different from each other and any adjacent two R20s may form an aromatic ring which may have a substituent by combination with the adjacent two carbon atoms.
 less than D-5 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than D-1 greater than , wherein a refractive index (n) of a single layer of the recording layer is 1.5xe2x89xa6nxe2x89xa63.0 and an extinction coefficient (k) is 0.02xe2x89xa6kxe2x89xa60.3 against the light having a wavelength range of a recording or reproducing wavelength xc2x15 nm.
 less than D-6 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than D-1 greater than , further comprising a reflective layer containing gold, silver, copper, or aluminum, or an alloy thereof.
 less than D-7 greater than
The optical recording medium according to  less than D-1 greater than , wherein a track pitch on the substrate falls within a range of 0.7 to 0.8 xcexcm, and a groove width at a half bandwidth falls within a range of 0.18 to 0.40 xcexcm.
In the embodiments of  less than D-1 greater than  to  less than D-4 greater than  and  less than D-8 greater than , optical information recording media capable of recording and reading by a laser light within a wavelength range of 600 nm to 720 nm, and having excellent light resistance and shelf life can be provided. In particular, the optical recording media obtained above are superior in light resistance to those using a squarylium metal chelate compound alone.
In the embodiments  less than D-5 greater than  and  less than D-6 greater than , optical recording media, in addition to having the above-described advantages, capable of recording and reading information at a stably high reflectivity and high degree of modulation can be provided.
In the embodiment  less than D-7 greater than , an optical recording medium, in addition to having the above-described advantages, capable of stably recording and reading information can be provided.
The optical recording method of the present invention comprises exposing the optical recording medium of the present invention to light beams of 600 to 720 nm, thereby recording information. Accordingly, a novel optical recording method permitting exhibition of the advantages of the above-described optical recording media can be provided.
The optical recording device of the present invention comprises the optical recording medium of the present invention mounted on the substrate. Accordingly, a novel optical recording device permitting exhibition of the advantages of the above-described optical recording medium can be provided.

Optical recording medium, optical recording method and optical recording device

Abstract: where A and B each independently expresses a residue forming one of a) a heterocyclic ring which may comprise a substituent and b) aromatic ring which may comprise a substituent, by combination with corresponding carbon atoms respectively bonded to A or B, and X expresses an active-hydrogen-containing substituent group. An optical recording method, and optical recording device using the same optical recording medium.


A device for the continuous production or the production on demand of a wr-in-oil emulsion from a water soluble chemical and an oil when mixed with an emulsifier. The device operates at relatively low pressures on the water and the oil lines. Water based chemical and the oil are each introduced into the cell through spray nozzles. The nozzles are positioned so as to cause the two sprays to intermix just prior to impinging on the wall of the cell. The action of the sprays and the force of impinging on the wall produces shearing action in the chemicals that helps in producing an emulsion. A long tube extends from the cylindrical cell. This tube contains a passive mixing element which causes the mixed chemicals to be further mixed and to undergo additional shearing action. The effect of the tube is to assure that the chemicals are held in a mixed state long enough for a stable emulsion to be formed.

The German decontamination emulsion C-8 is made by mixing a calcium hypochlorite slurry with perchloroethylene and an emulsifier. Making the emulsion for use in the field is usually a batch process
Currently, C-8 emulsion (15 percent perchloroethylene, 8 percent calcium hypochlorite, 1 percent emulsifier and 76 percent water) can be mixed in the field using an M12A1 Power Driven Decontamination Apparatus (PDDA). A calcium hypochlorite slurry is first mixed in this M12A1. The perchloroethylene-emulsifier mixture is then mixed with the slurry in the M12A1 until an emulsion is formed. A considerable amount of blending and agitation is required to form a proper emulsion. A continuous system must be capable of providing sufficient mixing to form a good emulsion without the residence time involved in the current method.
Mixing the German emulsion materials using current methods and equipment is also a labor-intensive task for the field soldier in full MOPP. Thus, practical decontamination will require that the emulsion be produced more quickly and easily.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


A device for preventing injury between the surfaces of the leading edge of a closing door and an edge of a recess surrounded by a door jamb which surrounds the door when closed. The device features a housing and two sequential translating members which contact the recess edge and maintain a gap between it and the door edge for a dwell time which the second member remains between the two edges.

1. Field of the Invention
This application Claims Priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/557,852 filed on Nov. 9, 2011, and to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/576,790 filed on Dec. 16, 2011, and to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/588,104 filed on Jan. 18, 2012, of which all are herein incorporated in their respective entirety by reference.
The present invention relates generally to door slam prevention devices. More particularly, it relates to a component adapted to prevent a high velocity full closure of a door into a door jamb stop as well as providing controlled closure of the door thereafter. The device thereby can prevent potential injury to humans or animals which might have a body part in-between the door and jamb and helps to prevent damage to the door or jamb parts which a high velocity impact can cause.
2. Prior Art
A slamming door can cause many problems. Such slamming can be caused by wind in some cases, or accidental closure in others. On a boat or ship, movement or wind can initiate a high velocity closure or slamming of a door. The dangers of having a finger or hand smashed between a door jamb of a closing door are extreme. A crushing of fingers or toes or actual amputation can occur under the right conditions. Further, animals such as dogs and cats, can be severely injured and are unaware of such a potential for harm.
The dangers are further elevated if the closing door is a solid core or metal door or otherwise considerably heavy, even if, closing at a slow speed since force is the result of mass times its velocity. Even a lightweight door closing at a high velocity as it contacts the door jamb, can render extreme injuries to an unlucky occupant of the space between the door and jamb.
Whether moving at a high or low speed closure, such a closure is conventionally referred to as a slam or slamming. In an effort to slow door closure, many household, commercial, and public buildings employ dampeners such as hydraulic resistors or other means for providing a controlled, often slow, closure of an opened door. However, these efforts still may fall short. In some cases, such as in high wind, the wind forces may overpower the hydraulics and still cause the door to slam at a considerably high velocity, or, high force winds can breaks or disable some dampening type devices and cause a resulting injurious slam.
Additional dangers are also present even if a user's hands are clear of the door jamb. In the case of a high velocity door slam, once a user opens the door and begins to pass through the door way, the slamming door can strike the individual from the rear and cause considerable damage. Such damage may be increased if the door is of considerable weight or mass. If the door strikes the user in the rear while they are positioned on the opposite side of, or slightly within the door jamb, and not cognizant of their proximity to the plane occupied by the closed-door face, they can be thrown to the ground and suffer further injuries from the unsuspected impact. If the user is a young child, elderly, or happens to be struck in the head, the damage could unfortunately be fatal.
For one example, cruise ships and other passenger ships are known to employ fire safety doors often using hydraulics or other means for automatically closing the door after opening. These doors are often large and extremely heavy as is required for fire regulations. In open waters, wind may easily catch the large doors and as mentioned above, overpower the controlled closure provided by the hydraulics or other means, causing the door to slam.
Still further, the swaying or rocking of the vessel may additionally cause an ajar door to slam shut. Additionally, there are many doors on ships, just as in commercial buildings and homes, which have no protection against slamming due to an aversion by owners to the mounting and use of hydraulic dampeners or other means of slowing rotation of the door on the hinges. Even when hydraulic dampeners are employed, they can impart a false sense of security since such dampeners are frequently maladjusted, or rendered inoperable from age or lack of maintenance. Consequently, doors lacking functioning dampeners and the like, are prone to high velocity rotation from wind, children or adults pushing them, and movement of the structure housing them. The resulting slamming is as such, an injury waiting to happen.
Aside from damage to users, a slamming door may additionally cause damage to door hardware and even the door jamb frame and/or door jamb stop. Such repairs or replacements can be quite costly and extensive, and thus may go unrepaired for a time period, wherein the dangers are even further elevated.
Slamming hazards are also found in high velocity closing vehicle doors, cabinets, and drawers. For car doors, damage to metal or other components of the door are expensive and may compromise the integrity of the door. Also, due to the weight and protruding latches employed in car doors, hands or fingers caught between may be pulverized and not merely smashed. Cabinets and drawers are potential finger and hand hazards as they are often high traffic areas.
As such, there is a continuing unmet need for a door slam prevention device and method which provides controlled closure thereafter as needed for increased safety. Such a device should be easily engageable to an existing door. Such a device should not impede the closing of a door like a dampener so as to be employed where such hydraulic or other resistance is not wanted or needed. Such a device should be ideally adjustable to allow for user changes to operation from full prevention to no prevention. Still further, such a device should be employable to fail or move to a retracted position to allow door closure where it is needed or required to allow its use when not in a failure mode.


The wheel chock is part of a wheel chock restraint system that also includes a base plate to prevent a parked vehicle from moving away in an unauthorized or accidental manner in a departure direction. The wheel chock includes a main body having a bottom base portion and a tire-engaging bulge. It also includes a tire deformation cavity, made within the main body on the tire-facing side. Teeth are provided underneath the bottom base portion of the wheel chock to engage at least one among corresponding teeth provided on the base plate in a latched engagement. The wheel chock has an improved resistance to rollover and tipping when the wheel is pressed forcefully against the wheel chock.

Wheels chocks are devices that can be positioned immediately in front of a wheel of a parked vehicle to act as an obstacle in the event of an unauthorized or accidental departure. This can happen as a result, for instance, of an error or because someone is trying to steal the vehicle. Many other situations exist, including ones where the vehicle movements are caused by other factors, such as trailer creep where motion of a lift truck entering and exiting a trailer can cause separation between the trailer and the dock leveler.
While conventional wheel chocks have proven to be very efficient over the years, there are still some situations where someone or something may be able to overcome the presence of a wheel chock, particularly when the vehicle is empty or only lightly loaded and there is a deliberate attempt to move the vehicle by force. For instance, a very determined driver may use a truck tractor to pull an empty or lightly loaded trailer using a very powerful traction force because the driver believes, through error or miscommunication, that the trailer is stuck, or because the driver attempts to steal the trailer. In such exceptional situation, a conventional wheel chock may become a ramp and the corresponding wheel can eventually roll over it, thereby allowing the trailer to leave. FIGS. 48 to 50 show how this can happen.
FIG. 48 is a semi-schematic side view illustrating an example of a conventional wheel chock 900 at the time of initial contact with an example of a wheel 902 of a vehicle. The wheel 902 includes a rigid rim 904 and a tire 906 mounted around the rim 904, for instance a gas-inflated tire. The only force present in FIG. 48 is the local weight W exerted vertically downwards at the center of this wheel 902. When the vehicle is a truck trailer, the total weight of the empty trailer is often relatively small compared to the total weight when the same trailer is fully loaded. The local weight W is thus assumed to be relatively small for the purpose of this example.
FIG. 49 is a view similar to FIG. 48, but showing the initial local deformation of the tire tread 914 when a moderate horizontal force T is applied. This horizontal force T can be the result of a truck tractor pulling the trailer in the departure direction. The horizontal force T is applied on the wheel 902 at its rotation axis. The conventional wheel chock 900 is anchored to the ground surface 908 or is otherwise prevented from moving in the departure direction. The tire 906 deforms on the contact surface 910 of the conventional wheel chock 900. The contact surface 910 often has a curved-shaped profile that somewhat matches the outer shape of the tire tread 914, as shown.
As the horizontal force T becomes stronger, the radial compression of the tire 906 against the contact surface 910 also increases. Further increasing the horizontal force T creates a significant local radial deformation where the tire tread 914 engages the contact surface 910 and also a deformation at an upper edge 912 of the contact surface 910, namely at the boundary where the tire tread 914 engages the contact surface 910 and the free space immediately above the conventional wheel chock 900. The gas pressure inside the tire 906 causes a local reaction force R at the upper edge 912, which force is resulting from the resilient tire tread 914 of the tire 906 trying to recover its initial circular shape. Reaction forces are also created elsewhere on the contact surface 910 but are not shown for the sake of simplicity. The local reaction force R has a horizontal component that is opposite the horizontal force T and a vertical component that is in the upward direction, thus in a direction that is opposite the weight W. The sum of the various forces, namely the weight W, the horizontal force T, and the reaction forces, including the local reaction force R, leads to a resulting force vector F having a downward angle "a". In FIG. 49, the direction of this resulting force vector F follows a path passing below the upper edge 912 of the contact surface 910.
As can be seen, an increase of the weight W (for instance by increasing the load inside the vehicle) can increase the angle "a" of the resulting force vector F, i.e., the resulting force vector F being pivoted counterclockwise in the example shown in FIG. 49. On the other hand, provided that the weight W remains the same, an increase of the horizontal force T will increase the local reaction force R, including its vertical upward component. The angle "a" of the resulting force vector F will then be pivoted clockwise in the example shown in FIG. 49.
FIG. 50 is also a view similar to FIG. 48, but showing what happens when an even stronger horizontal force T is applied. This horizontal force T is stronger than that of FIG. 49. The tire deformation increased to the point where the vertical component of the local reaction force R became greater than the weight W, thereby creating a lifting force. This lifting force caused the wheel 902 to rise vertically above the ground surface 908 over a distance D in the illustrated example. As the horizontal force T and the vertical component of the local reaction force R increased, the angle "a" of the resulting force vector F decreased as well, to the point where the direction of the resulting force vector F is no longer following a path passing below the upper edge 912. It now passes vertically above, as shown. This is due to the combined effect of the angle "a" of the resulting force vector F being pivoted towards the horizontal and the lifting motion of the wheel 902 over the distance D, which moved the rotation axis of the wheel 902 upwards. The wheel 902 of FIG. 50 is shown as it would appear immediately before rolling over the top of this conventional wheel chock 900.
Increasing the height of conventional wheel chocks is one way of mitigating the risks of a rollover. Having a wheel chock taller than the rotation axis of the wheel will be very efficient against a rollover. However, this is not always a suitable or even possible solution. For instance, an oversized wheel chock will be heavier, difficult to handle due to the added size and weight, and it may not fit in some tight spaces, such as between two successive wheels of a tandem axle arrangement or other multiple axle arrangements. On some vehicles, the intervening space between two successive wheels is the only available space due to obstacles elsewhere created by specific truck chassis designs. This intervening space is often limited, thereby imposing size limitations to wheel chocks. Increasing the size of a wheel chock is thus not always possible.
Another challenge in the design of wheel chocks is to mitigate the likelihood of the wheel chock from becoming stuck under the wheel, such as when the weight of the vehicle increases, while the wheel chock is in position. For instance, when the vehicle is a truck trailer, the significant weight difference between the empty trailer and the fully loaded trailer can cause the contact area between the tire of the wheel and the ground surface to increase, and a portion of the wheel chock close to the wheel can then become stuck underneath the tire. This may require the vehicle to be moved away from the wheel chock, but if the truck trailer cannot be backed up to clear the wheel chock, for instance if the truck trailer is already against the wall at the end of the loading dock, this can prevent the wheel chock from being removed and can require the truck trailer to be unloaded. This situation is highly undesirable since it will create delays and additional work.
One of the most efficient and convenient way of fixing a wheel chock is to use a ground-anchored base plate. The wheel chock and the base plate have corresponding sets of spaced-apart teeth. The base plate allows the position of the wheel chock to be adjusted according to the needs. It is a relatively simple structure that does not create a significant obstacle to movements or to other operations occurring at a loading dock. Structures such as railings or the like that can be installed to support wheel chocks are known to be often expensive and they also act as obstacles. For instance, removing snow or ice when these structures are present is often very difficult.
Base plates create other challenges of their own since some wheel chocks may tip before the actual rollover could occur and this may allow the wheel of a vehicle to roll over the wheel chock even more easily. In other cases, the rollover and the tipping may occur simultaneously. Tipping of the wheel chock occurs when the resultant force applied on the wheel chock by the wheel has an upward component following a path that goes beyond a certain angle. This force component will urge the wheel chock to pivot out of engagement with the base plate. One way to mitigate this phenomenon is to design the wheel chock with a relatively long base so as to bring the pivot point as far as possible from the wheel and/or to increase the size of the intervening teeth between the wheel chock and the base plate. However, increasing the length of the wheel chock is often limited by the lack of available space and by the maximum weight the wheel chock can have. Weight restriction may thus limit its length. Increasing the size of the teeth can also create other issues, such as an increase in the manufacturing costs and/or making the top of the base plate too high compared to the adjacent ground surface.
Designing a relatively small and lightweight wheel chock having a very high rollover resistance and a very high-tipping resistance is not easy. Overall, existing approaches in the design of wheel chocks have many inherent limitations. There is always room for further improvements in this area of technology.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A small, precise semiconductor pressure sensor has a flat, thin diaphragm of uniform thickness that is formed by a simple process. A first silicon substrate and a second silicon substrate are bonded to each other with an interface insulating film interposed between them and circuitry including gauge resistors is fabricated on the primary surface of the second silicon substrate. The interface insulating film may be disposed in the recess of a vacuum chamber and may have a two layer structure. If alignment marks are formed, the circuitry can be accurately formed relative to the vacuum chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor pressure sensor and a method of producing the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a semiconductor pressure sensor which may be installed in a vehicle or the like in order to measure pressure such as atmospheric pressure, and also relates to a method of producing such a semiconductor pressure sensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 37 and 38 show a conventional semiconductor pressure sensor, FIG. 37 being a plan view, and FIG. 38 being a side sectional view taken along the line B--B shown in FIG. 37. Referring to these Figures, a silicon substrate 11 comprises a silicon substrate having the crystal orientation (1 0 0) is for the purposes of increasing the sensitivity of the sensor with which it measures pressure and including a diaphragm 7 formed by anisotropically etching one surface (reverse surface) of the substrate 11. Gauge resistors 1 are formed at certain positions on the other surface (front surface) which are in the vicinity of edge portions 3 of the diaphragm 7 where the diaphragm 7 deforms most greatly when it is subjected to a change in pressure, the position of each gauge resistor 1 thus corresponding to one of the sides defined by the diaphragm edges. The gauge resistors 1 are interconnected by diffused wirings 2 into a bridge circuit. When the diaphragm 7 deforms due to a change in pressure, the deformation is converted by the bridge-connected gauge resistors 1 into an electrical signal.
Each of the diffused wirings 2 is connected to a metal electrode 4, which is in turn connected to an external circuit. A silicon oxide film 9 is disposed on the front surface of the silicon substrate 11, and serves as a mask during the formation of the gauge resistors 1, the diffused wirings 2, etc., as well as a protective film of the sensor. A glass coating 10 for protecting the whole of the front surface is disposed on the silicon oxide film 9. The diaphragm 7 is formed by, after the device on the front surface has been fabricated, etching the substrate 11 from the reverse surface in correspondence with the positions of the gauge resistors 1. The diaphragm 7 is the portion of the sensor which responds to pressure by deflecting.
The conventional semiconductor pressure sensor having the above-described construction is produced as shown in FIGS. 39 through 42, which are side sectional views of the sensor being produced. First, as shown in FIG. 39, a silicon substrate 11 composed of a single-crystal having the crystal orientation (1 0 0) is prepared. Subsequently, a device is fabricated on the front surface of the silicon substrate 11. Specifically, a silicon oxide film 9 is formed on the relevant surface of the substrate 11 by thermal oxidation. After forming openings in the silicon oxide film 9 at positions corresponding to the positions at which diffused wirings 2 are to be formed, the silicon oxide film 9 is used as a mask, through which impurities, such as boron, are diffused, thereby forming the diffused wirings 2 having a low resistivity. Further, four gauge resistors 1 are formed. The gauge resistors 1 are bridge-connected by diffused wirings 2 (FIG. 40).
Subsequently, certain portions of the diffused wirings 2 are exposed, and metal electrodes 4 are formed on these portions. Thereafter, the device-fabricated surface of the semiconductor pressure sensor is substantially entirely covered with a glass coating 10, such as a silicon nitride film (FIG. 41). Subsequently, an etching mask 13, such as a silicon nitride film, is formed on a part of the reverse surface of the silicon substrate 11 (FIG. 42) in such a manner that the position of the gauge resistors 1 on the front surface will correspond to that region of a diaphragm 7 (formed later) at which the diaphragm 7 is able to deform most greatly when subjected to a change in pressure. Subsequently, an anisotropic etching employing an etchant (such as an alkali-type etchant) is effected from the reverse surface of the silicon substrate 11 until the required thickness of the diaphragm 7 is achieved.
The region at which the diaphragm 7 deforms most greatly when subjected to a change in pressure comprises the edge portions 3 of the diaphragm 7 shown in FIG. 38. Hence, the gauge resistors 1 on the front surface of the semiconductor pressure sensor are positioned above these edge portions 3.
The conventional semiconductor pressure sensor has the following drawbacks: because there is a risk that the thickness of the silicon substrate 11 (silicon wafer) will vary between various portions thereof, and a risk that the etching rate will vary between a plurality of batches, between sensors within one batch, and/or between various portions of the wafer surface, and because the etching is effected to a relatively great depth, it is difficult to control the thickness of the diaphragm 7 with a high level of precision, and the operational efficiency is poor; since the diaphragm 7 is formed in the final stage of the sensor production, it is necessary, at this time, to completely protect the wafer surface; and due to the fact that anisotropic etching has a certain angle at which the etching proceeds and that the extent to which the diaphragm 7 can be made thin is inevitably limited, it is difficult to make the sensor small.

Semiconductor pressure sensor including multiple silicon substrates bonded together and method of producing the same


The subject invention relates to methods for the simultaneous detection of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) antigens as well as antibodies produced in response to HCV antigens. Furthermore, the subject invention allows one to detect antigens in the early, acute stage of infection, even prior to the development of antibodies, thereby allowing for early detection of infected blood and blood products, thus improving the safety of the blood supply.

1. Technical Field
The subject invention relates to methods for the simultaneous detection of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) antigens as well as antibodies produced in response to HCV antigens. Furthermore, the subject invention allows one to detect antigens in the early, acute stage of infection, even prior to the development of antibodies, thereby allowing for early detection of infected blood and blood products, and thus improving the safety of the blood supply.
2. Background Information
Recent epidemiological studies indicate that HCV infects more than 170 million people worldwide and that, in more than 50% of the cases, the infection is chronic. In the United States, there are approximately 4 million people infected, and 30,000 new infections are estimated to occur annually (NIH Conference, Hepatology Suppl 1:2S (1997)). In addition, HCV is responsible for 8,000-10,000 deaths annually in the United States and is the leading indicator for liver transplantation.
The HCV genome is a single-stranded RNA molecule of positive polarity that is approximately 9400-9500 nucleotides in length. The organization of the coding regions resembles that of other flaviviruses [Major et al., Hepatology 25:1527 (1997)] as well as the more recently discovered GB viruses [Muerhoff A S, et al., J Virol 69:5621 (1995)]. The HCV genome possesses a large open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polyprotein precursor of 3010 to 3033 amino acids depending on the particular isolate [Choo et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88:2451 (1991); Grakoui et al., J Virol 67:1385 (1993)]. HCV structural genes (core and envelope) are encoded near the 5xe2x80x2-end of the genome, followed by the proteases and helicase, the helicase cofactor and the replicase. Noncoding regions (NCR), thought to be important in replication, are found at each end of the genome.
HCV infection occurs primarily through parenteral exposure, i.e., through shared needles, by tattooing, or through transfusion of contaminated blood or blood products. Following exposure, the virus enters a susceptible hepatocyte and viral replication occurs. There is an eclipse phase period of approximately 10 days during which time there is no evidence of viral presence (i.e., viral RNA cannot be detected), serum transaminase levels are within normal limits, and there is no evidence of an immune response to HCV [Busch et al., Transfusion 40:143 (2000)]. Typically, about 10 days following exposure, HCV RNA can be detected, often with viral loads between 100,000-120,000,000 HCV RNA copies per ml of serum. Several weeks later, there is typically an increase in ALT levels indicating inflammation of the liver; antibodies are detected an average of about 70 days after exposure.
One of the preventive measures employed to limit the spread of HCV infections is to screen blood for exposure to HCV, either by the detection of antibodies to HCV or by the detection of viral-specific molecules (e.g., HCV RNA or HCV core proteins) in serum/plasma. Blood or blood products derived from individuals identified as having been exposed to HCV, by these tests, are removed from the blood supply and are not utilized for distribution to recipients of blood products (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,189). These tests may also be utilized in the clinical setting to diagnose liver disease attributable to HCV infection.
Due to the unavailability of native, intact HCV virions, serologic antibody tests have relied on recombinant antigens or synthetic peptides, representing selected fragments of the viral polyprotein. The first generation anti-HCV screening tests were based on detection of antibodies directed against a recombinant protein (HCV genotype 1a) originating from sequences located in the nonstructural NS-4 protein (C100-3) [Choo et al., Science 244:359 (1989); Kuo et al., Science 244:362 (1989)]. The first generation assays failed to detect antibodies in approximately 10% of individuals having chronic HCV infection and up to 10-30% of individuals presenting with acute HCV infection. The second generation anti-HCV assays have incorporated recombinant proteins from three different regions of the HCV genome (HCV genotype 1a), including amino acid sequences from the core, NS3, and NS4 protein [Mimms et al., Lancet 336:1590 (1990); Bresters et al., Vox Sang 62:213 (1992)], allowing a marked improvement over the first generation tests in identifying HCV infected blood donors [Aach et al., N Engl J Med 325:1325 (1991); Kleinman et al., Transfusion 32:805 (1992)]. The second generation assays detect antibodies in close to 100% of chronic HCV cases [Hino K., Intervirology 37:77 (1994)] and in nearly 100% of the acute cases by 12 weeks post infection [Alter et al., N Engl J Med 327:1899 (1992); Bresters et al., Vox Sang 62:213 (1992)]. The third generation test includes a recombinant protein expressing amino acid sequences from the NS5 region, as well as antigens from the core, NS3 and NS4. Some studies have indicated a slight improvement in sensitivity in comparing the third generation tests to second generation tests [Lee et al., Transfusion 35:845 (1995); Courouce et al. Transfusion 34:790-795 (1994)], but this improvement is largely attributed to changes in the NS3 protein rather than the inclusion of NS5 [Courouce et al., Lancet 343:853 (1994)].
In general, the second and third generation HCV antibody tests detect exposure to HCV about 70 days after exposure. Since HCV establishes persistent, and in many cases lifelong infection, the detection of antibodies to HCV represents a very efficient method for determining exposure to HCV. However, antibody testing alone will frequently fail to detect HCV infected individuals during the first 70 days after exposure.
The existing HCV antigen tests rely on detecting the presence of the HCV core antigen in serum or plasma. The core (or nucleocapsid) protein comprises the first 191 amino acids of the polyprotein. Two different types of serologic assays have been developed which permit detection of HCV core antigens in serum. One assay format detects HCV core antigens in subjects prior to seroconversion and is utilized in screening blood donors, while the other assay format detects core antigens only in hepatitis C patients, regardless of their HCV antibody status and is utilized in clinical laboratories to diagnose exposure to HCV or to monitor antiviral therapy.
Recent data on samples obtained during the pre-seroconversion period indicate that the HCV antigen test detects exposure to HCV significantly earlier than antibody testing [Aoyagi et al., J Clin Microbiol 37:1802 (1999); Peterson et al., Vox Sang 78:80(2000); Dawson et al., Transfusion, SD161, 40(2000); Muerhoff et al., 7th International Meeting on Hepatitis C virus and related viruses, Dec. 3-7, 2000], and represents an alternative to nucleic acid testing for detecting exposure to HCV during the pre-seroconversion period. The advantages of HCV antigen detection are that the test is rapid, simple, may not require sample extraction or other pretreatment, and is not as prone to handling errors (e.g., contamination) as may occur in the HCV RNA tests.
In clinical laboratories, the HCV antigen test has comparable sensitivity to the HCV DNA tests in detecting exposure to HCV in patients infected with different HCV genotypes [Dickson et al., Transplantation 68:1512 (1999)] and in monitoring antiviral therapy [Tanaka et al., Hepatology 32:388 (2000); Tanaka et al., J Hepatol 23:742 (1995)]. Thus, HCV core antigen tests present a practical alternative to HCV RNA for screening blood donors or for monitoring antiviral therapy.
The uniqueness of the current invention lies in its ability to detect HCV antibodies and HCV antigens simultaneously (see also International Application No. PCT/JP99/04129). This combination test or xe2x80x9ccomboxe2x80x9d assay utilizes antigen detection to identify exposure to HCV during the pre-seroconversion xe2x80x9cwindow periodxe2x80x9d and antibody detection to identify exposure to HCV after seroconversion.
All U.S. patents and publications referred to herein are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference.
The subject invention encompasses a method of simutaneously detecting at least one Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) antigen and at least one HCV antibody in a test sample comprising the steps of: a) contacting the test sample with: 1) at least one HCV viral antigen or portion thereof coated on a solid phase (e.g., a microparticle), for a time and under conditions sufficient for the formation of antibody/antigen complexes and 2) at least one antibody to HCV or portion thereof coated on the solid phase, for a time and under conditions sufficient for the formation of antigen/antibody complexes; b) detecting the antibody/antigen complexes, presence of the complexes indicating presence of at least one HCV antigen in the test sample; and c) detecting the antigen/antibody complexes, presence of the complexes indicating presence of at least one HCV antibody in the test sample. The at least one HCV antigen coated on the solid phase may be, for example, core antigen, NS3, NS4, NS5, and portions (or fragments) thereof. The at least one antibody coated on the solid phase may be, for example, a monoclonal antibody selected from the group consisting of 13-959-270, 14-1269-281, 14-1287-252, 14-153-234, 14-153-462, 14-1705-225, 14-1708-269, 14-1708-403, 14-178-125, 14-188-104, 14-283-112, 14-635-225, 14-726-217, 14-886-216, 14-947-104, 14-945-218, 107-35-54, 110-81-17, 13-975-157, 14-1350-210, C11-3, C11-7, C11-10, C11-14 and C11-15. Further, the at least one monoclonal antibody coated on the solid phase preferably is not reactive with the at least one antigen coated on the solid phase. In particular, the at least one monoclonal antibody may be a HCV anti-core monoclonal antibody and the at least one antigen may be a recombinant HCV core protein. The recombinant core protein does not contain epitopes to which the anti-core monoclonal antibody binds.
Additionally, the present invention includes a method for simultaneously detecting the presence of at least one HCV antigen and at least one HCV antibody in a test sample comprising the steps of: a) contacting the test sample with: 1) at least one HCV viral antigen or portion thereof coated on a solid phase, wherein the solid phase is, for example, a microparticle, for a time and under conditions sufficient for the formation of antibody/antigen complexes and 2) at least one HCV antibody or portion thereof coated on the solid phase, for a time and under conditions sufficient for the formation of antigen/antibody complexes; b) adding a first conjugate to the resulting antibody/antigen complexes for a time and under conditions sufficient to allow the conjugate to bind to the bound antibody in (a)(1), wherein the conjugate comprises a second antibody (e.g., mouse anti-human IgG) attached to a label (for example, a chemiluminescent compound) capable of generating a detectable signal and simultaneously adding a second conjugate to the resulting antigen/antibody complexes for a time and under conditions sufficient to allow said second conjugate to bind to the bound antigen in (a)(2), wherein said second conjugate comprises a third antibody (e.g., a monoclonal antibody to anti-HCV core antigen such as C11-10) attached to the label, for example, chemiluminescent compound, capable of generating a detectable signal; and b) detecting the presence of the generated signal, presence of the signal indicating the presence of at least one HCV antigen or at least one HCV antigen in the test sample. Again, the at least one HCV antigen coated on the solid phase may be selected from the group consisting of core antigen, NS3, NS4, NS5, and portions thereof. Further, the at least one antibody coated on the solid phase may be a monoclonal antibody selected from the group consisting of, for example, 13-959-270, 14-1269-281, 14-1287-252, 14-153-234, 14-153-462, 14-1705-225, 14-1708-269, 14-1708-403, 14-178-125, 14-188-104, 14-283-112, 14-635-225, 14-726-217, 14-886-216, 14-947-104, 14-945-218, 13-975-157, 14-1350-210, 107-35-54, 110-81-17, C11-3, C11-7, C11-10, C11-14 and C11-15. The at least one monoclonal antibody coated on the solid phase is preferably not reactive with the at least one antigen coated on the solid phase.
Also, the present invention encompasses a kit comprising: a) a container containing at least one HCV antigen coated on a solid phase, wherein the solid phase is, for example, a microparticle; and b) a container containing at least one HCV antibody coated on a solid phase, wherein the solid phase is preferably a microparticle.
The present invention also includes a kit comprising: a container containing: 1) at least one HCV antigen coated on a solid phase, wherein the solid phase is preferably a microparticle, and 2) at least one HCV antibody, coated on the solid phase. The kit may further comprise at least one conjugate comprising a signal-generating compound attached to a HCV antigen or HCV antibody. The signal-generating compound may be, for example, acridinium or an acridinium-containing compound.
Additionally, the present invention includes a method of detecting HCV antigen in a test sample comprising the steps of: a) contacting the test sample with at least one HCV antibody (e.g., monoclonal) coated on a solid phase, wherein the solid phase is a microparticle, for a time and under conditions sufficient for the formation of antibody/antigen complexes; and b) detecting the presence of antibody/antigen complexes, presence of the complexes indicating presence of antigen in the test sample.
The invention also encompasses a method of detecting HCV antigen in a test sample comprising the steps of: a) contacting the test sample with at least one HCV antibody (e.g., monoclonal) coated on a solid phase, wherein the solid phase is, preferably, a microparticle, for a time and under conditions sufficient for the formation of antibody/antigen complexes; b) adding a conjugate to the resulting antibody/antigen complexes for a time and under conditions sufficient to allow the conjugate to bind to the bound at least one antibody, wherein the conjugate comprises a second antibody attached to a label, for example, a chemiluminescent compound capable of generating a detectable signal; and c) detecting the signal generated by the label, for example, chemiluminescent compound, a signal generated by the label indicating the presence of antigen in the test sample.
Also, the present invention includes a recombinant protein comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of, for example, SEQ ID NO: 6, SEQ ID NO: 8, SEQ ID NO: 12 and SEQ ID NO: 16 as well as an amino acid sequence comprising conservative amino acid substitutions of these sequences. (A conservative substitution is defined as one or more amino acid substitutions in a sequence which do not change the function of the sequence.) The present invention also includes a recombinant protein comprising an amino acid sequence encoded by a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of, for example, SEQ ID NO: 5, SEQ ID NO: 7, SEQ ID NO: 11 and SEQ ID NO: 15. (Substitutions, deletions and additions within the sequences which do not affect functionally affect the protein encoded by the sequence are also considered to be within the scope of the present invention.)
Additionally, the present invention includes a vector or construct comprising a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of, for example, SEQ ID NO: 5, SEQ ID NO: 7, SEQ ID NO: 11 and SEQ ID NO: 15. The invention also includes a host cell comprising the vector or construct.
Furthermore, the present invention includes an immunoassay which may simultaneously detect at least one HCV antigen or at least one HCV antibody in a test sample.

Methods for the simultaneous detection of HCV antigens and HCV antibodies


A manufacturing method of shunt resistor according to the present invention includes a step of calculating a difference between an initial resistance value and a desired resistance value as a resistance value to be adjusted, a step of providing a plurality of recess forming members capable of forming recesses each having a characteristic size in the surface of a resistive alloy plate, a recess determining step of determining the size and the number of the recesses necessary to be formed at the surface of the resistive alloy plate, and a recess forming step of forming the recesses according to the size and the number determined in the recess determining step by using the corresponding recess forming members.

The shunt resistor is a component that is utilized when determining a current value of an electric circuit, wherein the determining the current value is achieved by having the shunt resistor connected in serial with the electric circuit, which is the target of detecting the current value, and then measuring a voltage difference between both sides across the shunt resistor. The shunt resistor is widely utilized in various fields such as the field of bus rings (bus bars) in rotary motors.
For example, Patent Literature 1 below proposes a method for manufacturing a shunt resistor having a desired resistance value by joining a thick film resistor to a pair of electrode conductors, which are disposed to face each other on an insulating substrate, so as to connect the pair of electrode conductors, and providing slits in the thick film resistor by laser trimming.
Although the method described in Patent Literature 1 can provide a desired resistance value by adjusting the length, number, and pitch of slits formed by laser trimming, in a plan view as viewed in the direction perpendicular to the plate surface, slits are formed so as to open outward. Accordingly, the strength of the slitted portion, especially the bending strength in the direction perpendicular to the plate surface, is reduced, possibly causing the shunt resistor to be broken or damaged by vibrations and bending stress that may be received in a state during use. In particular, this possibility is increased when the pitch between multiple slits is reduced.
Moreover, with slits being open outward in a plan view, the edge part of the slits is likely to come into contact with external peripheral components, and this also is problematic by making the shunt resistor liable to be broken or damaged.
Furthermore, there is also a problem in that laser trimming generates cutting waste when forming slits, and cutting waste needs to be removed in a subsequent step.
Patent Literature 2 below discloses a method for manufacturing a shunt resistor, wherein a resistance value adjustment hole is formed by being punched out with a first punch and, moreover, a shunt resistor is formed by being punched out with a second punch so as to cross the resistance value adjustment hole.
However, in the shunt resistor manufactured by this method as well, the notch formed by the resistance value adjustment hole is open outward in a plan view. Accordingly, the strength of the notched portion, especially the bending strength in the direction perpendicular to the plate surface, is reduced, possibly causing the shunt resistor to be broken or damaged by vibrations and bending stress that may be received in a state during use.
Moreover, because the notch is open outward in a plan view, the edge part of the notch is likely to come into contact with external peripheral components, and this also is problematic by making the shunt resistor liable to be broken or damaged.
Furthermore, there is also a problem in that the punch generates punched-out debris when forming the resistance value adjustment hole, and debris needs to be removed in a subsequent step.


A fluid level sensor for determining the amount of liquid in a container. Thin metal plates are placed parallely adjacent each other to form a capacitor cell coated with a non-hygroscopic film. The plates are mounted on the walls of the container containing fluid. As the fluid covers more surface area of the capacitor plates, the dielectric properties of the fluid increase the capacitance of the cell proportionally. The plates are connected to an oscillator whose output frequency varies with the change in container fluid levels. By monitoring these frequency changes, the container fluid levels of the fluid in the container can be controlled.

The present invention relates to a fluid level sensor and controller, and more particularly relates to an improved apparatus for measuring, detecting, and controlling liquid levels within a washing machine.
Liquid level sensors for washing machines currently in use comprises two tubes. Each tube having one end connected to the bottom of the washing machine tub and the other end connected to a pressure sensitive switch. The first switch actuates a valve that controls the flow of water going into the washing machine. The second switch when depressed actuates a pump to drain water from the washing machine. As the water level within the washing machine increases, the water within each tube increases, causing the net air pressure over atmospheric pressure to push against the pressure sensitive switch. When the water level in the first tube rises so that the air pressure reaches a set value, the sensing switch toggles and the water flow into the machine is shut off. To drain water from the machine, a pump is turned on. As the water drains, the air pressure in the second tube drops, depressing the second sensing switch, causing a signal to be sent to turn off the pump. By turning the water going into the washing machine and the drain pump off and on, the level within the washing machine can be set.
One problem with this liquid level sensor is that the switch is mechanical and may wear out with use. A mechanical sensor may leak air pressure over time if allowed to remain pressurized. This can cause flooding and subsequent water damage. Another drawback is that the pressure sensitive switch may not have the sensitivity to set the water level with accuracy. Furthermore, the second pressure sensation may not be able to detect when pressure in the second tube is below atmospheric level. Accordingly, the second switch depresses when water is still present in the tub. Consequently, the pump must continue to drain water from the tub for a time period thereafter. Further, this liquid level sensor requires mechanical parts which may be expensive to use and assemble. This liquid level sensor also does not continuously signal the liquid level to a controller but instead indicates only a preset level.
Other methods to sense the liquid level in a tub include a capacitance liquid level sensor. A typical capacitance liquid level sensor comprises a metal rod coated with an insulating material such as Teflon, forming one electrode of a capacitor and a tub wall forming a second electrode of the capacitor. A signal with appropriate RF oscillation is applied across the two electrodes so as to be able to detect and amplify changes in capacitance. These changes provide an output that indicates the liquid level or provides an alarm if the liquid level exceeds a predetermined threshold.
This arrangement suffers from various drawbacks. For example, this arrangement can only be used in tubs which are made of conductive material. Otherwise, additional capacitive elements would have to be provided. This arrangement has further drawbacks in that when used with liquids that contain sticky materials, a build-up on the wires or rods occurs, which results in an inaccurate output indication.
Another liquid level sensor is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,718. A pair of wires are encased in Teflon or an equivalent material. The wires are placed parallel to each other and are spaced equidistantly therein with the Teflon material closed at the terminating end of the liquid level sensor. One drawback of this arrangement is that when the wires are used in a turbulent tub to maintain a constant spacing between the wires, they must be installed within a tube made from a rigid material. A further drawback of this invention is that soap or film may form on the wires and this can possibly affect the capacitance and oscillation frequency of the sensor. A further drawback is that wires do not provide enough surface area to get an accurate capacitance without the addition of more complicated circuitry. This drawback may prevent the indicator from sensing liquid levels down to such small amounts as 1/4 of an inch.
Another drawback of capacitance sensors is that they can be effected by noise and stray capacitance. The capacitor sensor is typically located in the washing machine tub and wired to the capacitance sensing circuitry located a few feet away. The capacitance of the wires changes during washing machine operation as the tub vibrates, resulting in the wires moving around. Accordingly, the sensing circuitry is susceptible to the stray capacitance of the wires between the capacitor sensor and the sensing circuitry. Further, due to the noise generated by the washing machine motor, the output signal of the capacitance circuitry can give erroneous data. Accordingly, due to the noise of the washer motor and turbulence caused by the washer agitator, the accuracy and stability of the sensing apparatus can be affected.


The invention relates to a strip light system, having an elongated carrier rail (1), which extends along a longitudinal axis (L) and has a U shape in a cross section normal to the longitudinal axis (L) as viewed in a first approximation, so that a first U leg (2), a second U leg (3) and a connecting leg (4), which connects the two U legs (2, 3) to one another, are formed, wherein at least one pass-through opening (5, 5′) is formed in the connecting leg (4), and also having at least one luminaire, which is designed to be connected to the carrier rail (1), wherein at least one cover element (6), which is designed to be mounted on the carrier rail (1) so as to cover the at least one pass-through opening (5, 5′), is provided.

The applicant markets such a strip light system under the name "Slotlight Infinity". In this strip light system the carrier rail is formed by a profile element having a cross section that is substantially U-shaped. This carrier rail is aligned in such a way in order to operate that the two U legs point downwards. Inside the channel formed in this way, bar-shaped luminaires can be inserted from below. In this case the light is emitted downwards.
It has been found that it is not easily possible to achieve a higher class of protection with this strip light system. Although the underside can be readily sealed by means of a cover, through which the light is emitted, the top side of the carrier rail has some openings that are used to hold certain other components of the strip light system, as well as the pass-through of supply lines. Although those openings, which are not needed, can be basically closed by grommets, plugs or the like, such an approach is not practical.
The object of the present invention is to provide an improved strip light system. In particular, the strip light system should be easy to retrofit in such a way that it satisfies a higher class of protection.
This object is achieved, according to the invention, with the subject matter mentioned in the independent claim. Particular embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

Light strip system with an elongate carrier rail