An exposure apparatus includes a condensing optical system for condensing light from a light source to a specified plane, an imaging optical system for imaging the light in the specified plane onto a reticle or a mask or near the reticle or mask, a projection optical system for projecting a pattern on the reticle or the mask onto an object to be exposed; and

The present invention relates generally to exposure apparatuses, and more particularly to an exposure apparatus used to expose an object such as single crystal plates for semiconductor wafers, glass plates for liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and the like. The present invention is suitably applicable, for example, to an exposure apparatus for exposing single crystal plates for semiconductor wafers in a step-and-scan projection manner in a photolithography process.
The step-and-scan manner, as used herein, is one mode of projection exposure method which exposes a mask pattern onto a wafer by continuously scanning the wafer relative to the mask or a reticle (which are used interchangeably in the present application), and by moving, after a shot of exposure, the wafer stepwise to the next exposure area to be shot.
Along with the recent demands on smaller and lower profile electronic devices, minute semiconductor devices to be mounted onto these electronic devices have been increasingly required. For example, a design rule for a mask pattern requires that an image with a size of a line and space (LandS) of 0.1 xcexcm or less be extensively formed and, presumably, it will further move to a formation of circuit patterns of 80 nm or less in the future. LandS denotes an image projected to a wafer in exposure with equal line and space widths, and serves as an index of exposure resolution.
A projection exposure apparatus, which is a typical exposure apparatus for fabricating semiconductor devices, generally includes an illumination apparatus that includes a light source, such as a laser, and an illumination optical system for illuminating a mask, and a projection optical system that is located between the mask and an object to be exposed. In order to provide a uniformly illuminated area, the illumination optical system introduces a beam from a laser to an optical integrator, such as a fly-eye integrator, to use multiple light sources created at and around the optical integrator""s light exit plane as a secondary light source to illuminate a mask plane via a condenser lens. More specifically, referring to FIG. 9, an optical integrator 130A uniformly illuminates, via a condenser lens 140A, a masking blade 160A for restricting an exposure area to be scanned. The beam that has passed through the masking blade 160A illuminates the illuminated plane of the mask through an image-forming lens (not shown). Here, FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view showing part of a conventional illumination apparatus 100A. This structure arranges an exposure plane on the wafer, a pattern plane on the mask, and a plane of the masking blade 160A in a conjugate relationship.
In such an exposure apparatus, the image quality of a pattern to be transferred onto the wafer and the like depends deeply upon illumination performance, e.g., illumination distributions on the mask and wafer planes. Therefore, precise light amount control (i.e., illuminance control) is required to provide high quality semiconductor wafers, LCDs, thin-film magnetic heads, etc. Such light amount control uses a beam splitting member (e.g., a beam splitter half mirror) 150A and the like to split the condensed beam subsequent to the condenser lens 140A, and a sensor 182A to receive it for feedback control over an amount of the light from the light source (or a laser output) so that the illuminance of an illuminated area may fluctuate within a permissible range. In such an illumination apparatus, the sensor 182A detects the light amount of the exposure beam while arranging its light receiving surface at a position corresponding to mask""s pattern plane.
However, there has recently been found a problem that an illumination apparatus that uses a half mirror distorts a beam intensity distribution, and causes distortion in an effective light source. As a result, an exposure apparatus using such an illumination apparatus deteriorates image quality on a wafer plane, deteriorating quality of devices to be provided.
As shown in FIG. 9, the half mirror 150A is arranged while somewhat inclined to a plane perpendicular to an optical axis OA so that a light-receiving element 182 for receiving a reflected beam may not obstruct exposure light. Therefore, it is understood that beams L1 and L2 that provide the maximum aperture (which beams L1 and L2 are referred to as an upper line L1 and a lower line L2 of the maximum aperture ray hereinafter in this application) make the largest difference in angle of incidence upon the half mirror among condensed beams incident upon the plane of incidence of the half mirror 150A.
Here, if it is assumed that the half mirror 150A is made of quartz (having an refractive index of 1.56 to a wavelength of 193 nm) and keeps its light receiving surface uncoated, the angular dependency of its spectral reflectance is as shown in FIG. 10. Here, FIG. 10 is a graph showing the spectral reflectance at the plane of incidence of the half mirror 150A. Thus, if the half mirror 150A""s plane of incidence is not set to be optimally inclined against the plane perpendicular to the optical axis OA by taking into consideration numerical apertures (NAs) of the preceding and following optical systems, the beam reflected from the half mirror 150A would include a distorted intensity distribution. This would also cause a distorted intensity distribution in a transmitting beam through the half mirror 150A, providing a distortion in an effective light source, and finally deteriorated image quality on the wafer.
Accordingly, it is an exemplary object of the present invention to provide an exposure apparatus and method that may reduce or eliminate a distortion in the intensity distribution of illumination light when a beam splitting member is provided on an illumination optical path.
All exposure apparatus of one aspect of the present invention includes a condensing optical system for condensing light from a light source to a specified plane, an imaging optical system for imaging the light in the specified plane onto a reticle or a mask or near the reticle or mask, a projection optical system for projecting a pattern on the reticle or the mask onto an object to be exposed, and a beam splitting member that is provided between the condensing optical system and the specified plane, and generates a split beam, wherein 18.3xc2x0xe2x89xa6xcex8xe2x89xa636.4xc2x0, 1.0xe2x89xa6|B|xe2x89xa62.5 and 0.16xe2x89xa6NA2xe2x89xa60.23 are met where xcex8 is an angle formed between a splitting plane in the beam splitting member and a plane perpendicular to an optical axis, B is the magnification of the imaging optical system, and NA2 is a maximum numerical aperture at a light exit side of the imaging optical system. According to this exposure apparatus, the upper and lower lines of the maximum aperture ray among the beams entering the beam splitting member have a small difference in angle of incidence upon the beam splitting member. Thus, it becomes possible to reduce and eliminate a distortion in the intensity distribution of transmitting beams that have transmitted the beam splitting member. Preferably, in this exposure apparatus, the maximum numerical aperture NA3 at a light exit side of the projection optical system satisfies 0.74xe2x89xa6NA3xe2x89xa60.9.
The exposure apparatus may further include a detector for detecting a light amount of the above split beam, and a controller for controlling a light amount of the light source based on the detection result of the detector. Such an exposure apparatus may detect the light amount of light for illuminating a target area, and provides feedback control over the light amount of the light source so that the target area may have illuminance within a specified range. The beam splitting member may have an uncoated reflection surface for reflecting an incident beam so as to generate the split beam. Such a beam splitting member would secure reflectance necessary for the reflection plane without particularly increasing a manufacturing cost.
Further, an exposure method as another aspect of the present invention includes the steps of adjusting, within the angle xcex8, an angle between a beam splitting plane in the beam splitting member in the above exposure apparatus and a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and illuminating the reticle or the mask using the above exposure apparatus. In addition, the exposure method may further include the steps of detecting a light amount of the beam split by the beam splitting member, and controlling a light amount of the light source based on the result detected by the detecting step. Such an exposure method is an exposure method using the above exposure apparatus, thus performing the operations similar to the above exposure apparatus.
A device fabricating method as still another aspect of the present invention includes the steps of exposing the object by using the above-described exposure apparatus, and performing a specified process for the exposed object. Claims for the device fabricating method that exhibits operations similar to those of the above exposure apparatus cover devices as their intermediate products and finished products. Moreover, such devices include, e.g., semiconductor chips such as LSIs and VLSIs, CCDs, LCDs, magnetic sensors, thin-film magnetic heads, etc.

Abstract: a beam splitting member that is provided between the condensing optical system and the specified plane, and generates a split beam, wherein 18.3xc2x0xe2x89xa6xcex8xe2x89xa636.4xc2x0, 1.0xe2x89xa6|B|xe2x89xa62.5 and 0.16xe2x89xa6NA2xe2x89xa60.23 are met where xcex8 is an angle formed between a splitting plane in the beam splitting member and a plane perpendicular to an optical axis, B is the magnification of the imaging optical system, and NA2 is a maximum numerical aperture on a light exit side of the imaging optical system.


A device and a method for the rejection of interference in a payload signal are described. The method includes evaluating the interference phase and evaluating the instantaneous amplitude of the interference by the least error squares method, forming a ratio r=(B2/(A2+B2)) where A is the real part of the amplitude of the interference and B is the complex part of the amplitude of the interference. If r is below the threshold value r0, the signal is corrected by replacing the central sample of the signal by a weighted sum moderated by the central sample and neighboring samples.

1. Description of the Prior Art
The invention relates to a device and a method for the rejection of interference in a signal.
It can be applied notably in the context of telecommunications where the payload signal received may be subjected to the addition of powerful jamming or interference phenomena which, however, are completely different from thermal noise. This parasitic signal is mostly "narrowband noise" compared with the payload signal, i.e., it can be locally likened to a pure carrier of almost-constant amplitude with a "slowly" variable frequency.
The invention is applicable to the rejection of any signal that can be likened to a narrowband signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, there are essentially three techniques used to reject the interference referred to in the present invention.
The first technique, known as the Frequency Selective Limiter or FSL technique consists of the processing of a signal in blocks which generally overlap one another. For each block, the transform of the signal is computed and is then compared with the theoretical value that it should have. In the next processing operation, for each complex value of said transform, the amplitude (and not the phase) is modified in such a way that the effects of the interference are as small as possible. Such a modification may consist in giving the theoretical amplitude to all the points, setting those points whose amplitude is "too high" at zero or using any other appropriate processing operation. An inverse Fourier transform reconstitutes the signal which, in principle, is rid of the interference.
The second technique is that of "adaptive filtering" which consists of the continuous adjustment of the coefficients of a filter known as a "predictive" filter to minimize the mean square error between the signal that it predicts and the preceding signal samples. The inverse filter of the predictor is then used to filter the signal so as rid it of the majority of the interference or jamming phenomena that affect it
Finally, the third technique known as the "rejection filter" technique consists in estimating the long-term frequency spectrum of the interference phenomena, computing a filter that attenuates the signal received in the frequency band or frequency bands and applying the filter before demodulation.

Method and device for the rejection of self-adaptive interference


In a rack guide disposed in a casing of a rack and pinion type steering system for slidably supporting a rack bar having rack teeth which engage with a pinion rotatably supported in the casing, the area for bearing the load of the rack bar can be fixed. A slide bearing member 21 has a three-layered structure consisting of a backing metal 22 made of bronze, a sintered alloy layer 23 and a synthetic resin layer 24, the surface of the synthetic resin layer 24 comprising sliding-contact surface portions 25, 26 formed intermittently with the center thereof at the center of curvature "O" of a circular outer peripheral surface of a rack bar 16 and with a radius of curvature equal to the radius of curvature R.sub.0 of the same, and the remaining surface portions 27 to 29 formed in other positions than the sliding-contact surface portions 25, 26 so as to be more dented than the sliding-contact surface portions 25, 26.

The present invention relates to a rack guide in a rack and pinion type steering system, which supports a rack bar, and more specifically to the rack guide whose sliding frictional resistance against the rack bar is reduced.
Conventionally, a rack and pinion type steering system comprises a pinion provided at an end of a steering shaft and a rack bar having rack teeth which engage with the pinion through which rotation of the steering shaft or the pinion is transformed into reciprocating motion of the rack bar.
In such rack and pinion type steering system, the pinion is rotatably supported in a housing through bearings, while the rack bar is supported in such a manner that a hemi-cylindrical back surface thereof opposite to the teethside is slidable on a rack guide disposed in the housing. The rack guide is formed by mounting a slide bearing member on a supporting base. The slide bearing member usually comprises a backing metal having an arc shape and a synthetic resin layer coated on the backing metal as an inner surface layer so as to support the rack bar on the surface of the synthetic resin layer.
High sliding frictional resistance between the rack guide and the rack bar makes the efficiency of the steering system to be deteriorated, so as to affect on the steering characteristics. To cope with this, it is proposed, for example, in JP-Y2-1-27984 to reduce the contact area between a rack bar and a synthetic resin layer of a slide bearing member in order to reduce the sliding frictional resistance between a rack guide and the rack bar.
According to a specific structure of JP-Y2-127984 for reducing the contact area between the rack bar and the slide bearing member, as shown in the attached drawing of FIG. 6, the rack bar 2 is partially in contact with a synthetic resin layer 1 of the slide bearing member at two restricted linear zones of the surface of the synthetic resin layer 1. The linear zones are located within two surface sections, respectively, which are defined by a symmetrical center line corresponding to the curvature center (line) of the hemi-cylindrical back surface of the rack bar 2 being received in the slide bearing member, the symmetrical center line dividing the hemi-cylindrical back surface of the rack bar 2 to the two surface sections 3 and 4. In FIG. 6, a reference character "LS" means a phantom line which includes the curvature center "O" of the hemi-cylindrical back surface of the rack bar 2 and the above symmetrical center line on the surface of the synthetic resin layer 1. The surface of the synthetic resin layer 1 consists of the two cylindrical surface sections 3 and 4 which have curvature centers "Oa" and "Ob", respectively. The curvature centers "Oa" and "Ob" are located above the curvature center "O" in FIG. 6. Thus, the radii of curvature "Ra" and "Rb" of the two cylindrical surface sections 3 and 4 are greater than that of the radius of curvature "Ro" of the rack bar.
In such structure, however, the hemi-cylindrical back surface of the rack bar 2 is almost in linear contact with the synthetic resin layer 1 at the respective two surface sections 3 and 4. This means that the synthetic resin layer 1 bears the rack bar 2 by small areas. Thus, the bearing load per unit area is considerably large resulting in that the slide bearing member has an inferior durability. Further, the synthetic resin layer 1 is elastically deformed during supporting the rack bar 2 so as to be dented in a circular-arc form along the respective two linear zones being in contact with the hemi-cylindrical back surface of the rack bar 2. Such deformation amount is different from one steering system to another due to variance errors in size of components, the variance errors occurring in assembling the steering systems, and so on. Consequently, the contact area between the synthetic resin layer 1 and the hemi-cylindrical back surface of the rack bar 2 varies from one steering system to another. Thus, the sliding frictional resistance between the synthetic resin layer 1 and the rack bar 2 is different from one steering system to another resulting in a problem that the fabrication quality is unstable in producing such steering systems.

Rack guide in rack and pinion type steering system


A print server comprises: storage unit configured to store the print job of the intermediate format received from an information processing apparatus; setting change receiving unit configured to receive, from a printing apparatus, a print setting information change instruction for the print job of the intermediate format stored in the storage unit; update unit configured to update print setting information of the print job in accordance with the print setting information change instruction; print request receiving unit configured to receive a print request from the printing apparatus; and job transmission unit configured to generate a print job of a format printable by the printing apparatus based on the print job of the intermediate format and the print setting information updated in accordance with the print request, and to transmit the generated print job to the printing apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing system, printing method, print server, control method, and computer-readable medium for performing pull print control.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has conventionally been proposed a so-called "pull print" printing system capable of outputting print data from a printing apparatus when the user issues a print request to the printing apparatus for print data temporarily stored in a server (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4033857). In printing from an application, the user can output print data not from a specific printing apparatus but from a printing apparatus of his choice.
As a re-printing method for a printout the user did not intend, the following system is proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-304881). More specifically, the UI (User Interface) of a printer driver running on a client PC is displayed on the panel of a printing apparatus. The user operates the UI to designate re-print settings and re-printing.
It is difficult for the conventional method to designate a change of print setting information when the user issues a print request from the printing apparatus for print data temporarily stored in the server. Print data temporarily stored in the server has a PDL (Page Description Language) format dependent on the printing apparatus. Hence, PDL data has to be edited according to a print setting information change instruction. For example, assume that the user designates a print setting to impose four pages on one page (to be referred to as 4in1) when he issues a print request from the printing apparatus for print data temporarily stored in the server. At this time, PDL print data temporarily stored in the server needs to be changed to match 4in1. If PDL is a raster format dependent on the resolution of the printing apparatus, a raster image is reduced to implement 4in1, causing various problems of quality degradation such as loss of a thin line. Since PDL has a variety of specifications, much labor is required to cope with these PDL specifications. In the first place, if a PDL specification is not open to the public, no PDL can be changed.
As a method of designating a change of print setting information by the user from the printing apparatus, the UI of a printer driver running on a client PC is displayed on the panel of the printing apparatus. However, it is hard to apply this method to a pull print system. A printing apparatus to output has not been finalized yet when the user designates printing on the client PC to execute pull print. The functions of a printer driver UI for use have to be general-purpose ones independent of the printing apparatus. A printing apparatus to output is finalized only after the user goes to the printing apparatus and operates the panel of the printing apparatus. The functions of the pull print printer driver UI displayed on the panel of the printing apparatus are merely general-purpose ones. In other words, functions specific to the printing apparatus cannot be used, limiting print settable functions.

Managing a print job using print setting information


A high-strength magnesium alloy member is suitable for products in which at least one of bending stress and twisting stress primarily acts. The member has required elongation and 0.2% proof stress, whereby strength and formability are superior, and has higher strength and large compressive residual stress in the vicinity of the surface of a wire rod. In the magnesium alloy member formed as a wire rod in which at least one of bending stress and twisting stress primarily acts, the wire rod includes a surface portion having the highest hardness of 170 HV or more in the vicinity of the surface and an inner portion having a 0.2% proof stress of 550 MPa or more and an elongation of 5% or more, and the wire rod has the highest compressive residue stress in the vicinity of the surface of 50 MPa or more.

In various fields, such as aerospace, vehicles (automobiles, motor cycles, trains), medical instruments, welfare devices, and robots, low weights of parts are desired for improvement of function, improvement of performance, and improvement of operability. Specifically, in the field of vehicles such as automobiles, emission amounts of carbon dioxide has been desired to be reduced in concern for the environment. Therefore, the need to reduce weight to reduce fuel consumption has become increasingly stringent every year.
Development of lightweight parts has been active primarily in the field of vehicles, and great strengthening of steels by improvements in composition, surface modifications, and combination thereof in steels has been primarily researched. For example, high-tension steels have been primarily used for springs, which are typical strong parts, and fatigue strength thereof is further improved by applying surface modification such as nitriding and shot peening, thereby yielding lightweight springs. However, great strengthening of steels by conventional improvements in composition is nearing limits, and great reductions in weight in the future cannot be anticipated.
Therefore, lightweight alloys, typically having low specific gravity, such as titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, and magnesium alloys are desired for further reduction in weight. Magnesium alloys have the lowest specific gravity in the practical metals, which is about 1/4 of that of steels, about 1/2.5 of that of titanium alloys, and about 1/1.5 of that of aluminum alloys. Therefore, magnesium alloys have great advantages in being low in weight and as a resource, and they are expected to be widely used in the market.
However, conventional magnesium alloys are limited in use as products. The main reason for this is that the strengths of the conventional magnesium alloys are low. Therefore, in order to obtain strength for parts, it is necessary to increase size of parts compared to that of the conventional steel parts. That is, the conventional magnesium alloys have not been accepted as strong parts in the market since low weight and compact size are incompatible.
Under such circumstances, research in high-strength magnesium alloys for use as strong parts has been actively made. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a molten Mg—Al—Zn—Mn—Ca-RE (rare earth) alloy is subjected to wheel casting, thereby forming a solid member, which is drawn and densified, thereby obtaining a magnesium alloy member having a 0.2% proof stress of 565 MPa.
Patent Document 2 discloses a technique in which a molten Mg—X-Ln (X is one or more of Cu, Ni, Sn, and Zn; Ln is one or more of Y, La, Ce, Nd, Sm) alloy is rapidly cooled and solidified, thereby yielding an amorphous foil strip composed of a magnesium alloy foil strip having a hardness of 200 HV or more.
Patent Document 3 discloses a technique in which a cast material or an extruded material composed of a Mg—Al—Mn alloy is drawn, thereby obtaining a magnesium alloy wire having a tensile strength of 250 MPa or more and an elongation of 6% or more.
Patent Document 1 is Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 3-90530. Patent Document 2 is Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 3-10041. Patent Document 2 is Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-293069.
The techniques disclosed in the publications are effective for greatly strengthening magnesium alloys. However, in the magnesium alloy disclosed in Patent Document 1, mechanical properties for satisfying requirements of the market for strong parts are not sufficient. For example, when it is assumed that the alloy is used in a spring in which at least one of bending stress and twisting stress primarily acts, according to estimates by the inventors, the magnesium alloy wire rod must have a 0.2% proof stress of 550 MPa or more in an inner portion of the wire rod and a 0.2% proof stress of 650 MPa or more in the vicinity of the surface of the wire rod if the size of the wire rod is the same as that of existing steel springs and light weight can be achieved. Furthermore, in order to form a coiled spring, at least an elongation of 5% or more in an inner portion is required. However, in the alloy member disclosed in Patent Document 1, which has the highest 0.2% proof stress of 565 MPa, the ductility is low and the elongation is only 1.6%. On the other hand, in the alloy member disclosed in Patent Document 1, which has the highest ductility and an elongation of 4.7%, the elongation is close to the value that is required in the present invention. However, the strength is low in a 0.2% proof stress of 535 MPa, and the requirement is not satisfied.
In the magnesium alloy disclosed in Patent Document 2, a hardness of 170 HV or more is obtained. The hardness corresponds to 0.2% proof stress of 650 MPa or more according to estimates by the inventors. However, in Patent Document 2, properties related to ductility are not disclosed. The magnesium alloy disclosed in this publication contains a large amount of rare earth elements and 50% of amorphous phase, whereby the ductility is extremely low, and it is easily assumed that sufficient elongation is not obtained. Furthermore, amorphous phases show poor thermal stability and easily crystallize by external causes such as environmental temperature. Since a mixed-phase alloy of amorphous phase and crystal phase causes large variation in the properties according to the proportion of the phases, it is difficult to stably produce products having uniform properties, and it is not suitable for applying to industrial products because of difficulty in guaranteeing quality in the market.
In the magnesium alloy disclosed in Patent Document 3, the elongation is 6% or more and shows sufficient ductility. However, the tensile strength is 479 MPa at most, and the above-mentioned 0.2% proof stress of 550 MPa or more in the inner portion of the wire rod is not obtained.
In order to improve fatigue strength of parts in which at least one of bending stress and twisting stress primarily acts, it is effective to apply the compressive residual stress on the surface thereof by shot peening, etc. However, in the conventional magnesium alloys, it is difficult to obtain sufficient compressive residual stress to improve the fatigue strength, since yield stress (that is, 0.2% proof stress) thereof is low. For example, the applied compressive residual stress is about 50 MPa or less, even if the compressive residual stress is applied to a conventional magnesium alloy by shot peening.

Magnesium alloy member and production method therefor


The invention relates to crystal forms of 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, 2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate salts having the formula shown below:

This invention relates to crystal forms of 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, 2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate (1:1) salts having the formula shown below:
The invention further relates to a method of making 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1 H-quinolin-2-one, 2,3-dihydroxybutanedioate (1:1) salts. The compounds of the present invention are useful in the treatment of hyperproliferative diseases, such as cancers, in mammals, especially humans. The invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds.
The free base, 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, is described in co-pending U.S. Ser. No. 09/383,755, filed Aug. 26, 1999, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The foregoing application is assigned in common with the present application. The aforementioned free base is useful in the treatment of hyperproliferative diseases such as cancers.
The present invention relates to crystalline tartrate salts of 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one having the formula shown below:
Two crystal forms of formula I have been identified. The crystal forms of formula I are herein referred to as crystal form A and crystal form B. Crystal form A is an anhydrous crystalline salt of formula I, while crystal form B is a sesquihydrate crystalline salt of formula I.
The present invention relates to 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, 2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate salts. The 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one has a chiral center at the 6-postion. Thus, the free base, 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, may have specific rotations of (+) or (xe2x88x92). The tartrate salt may be L-tartaric acid or D-tartaric acid. L-tartaric acid is also known as (2R,3R)-(+)-tartaric acid, while D-tartaric acid is (2S,3S)-(xe2x88x92)-tartaric acid. Both acids are available from Aldrich Chemical Company, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis.
Particularly preferred salts include (+)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, 2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate salt and (xe2x88x92)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, 2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate salt. Other particularly preferred salts include 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (xe2x88x92)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate salt and 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (+)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate salt.
More particularly preferred salts include (+)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (xe2x88x92)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate salt and (xe2x88x92)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (+)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate salt. The salts of the present invention may be present in anhydrous or hydrous form.
The present invention further relates to (+)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (+)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate salt. The invention also relates to (xe2x88x92)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (xe2x88x92)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate salt.
The present invention further comprises pharmaceutical compositions of crystal forms A and B of the compound of formula I and a method for the production of crystal forms A and B of the compound of formula I.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide crystal forms A and B in a pharmaceutically orally administered composition. Crystal forms A and B of the compound of formula I are useful for the oral administration of the drug in solid form, such as tablets. Crystal form A is preferred for use in the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions containing the compound of formula I in tablet form for oral administration.
Crystal forms A and B have been characterized by powder X-ray diffractometry. The anhydrous crystal form of the present invention is identified in this application as crystal form A. The second crystal form of formula I is a sesquihydrate having approximately 5.5% water and is identified herein as crystal form B.
The anhydrous crystal form A of (+)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (xe2x88x92)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate is characterized by high-intensity diffraction peaks at diffraction angles (2xcex8) of about 3.6, 17.2, 17.6, 18.8, 19.2, 20.4 and 22.1 in a powder X-ray diffraction pattern. The experimental conditions under which the powder X-ray diffraction was conducted are as follows: Cu anode; wavelength 1: 1.54056; wavelength 2: 1.54439 (Rel Intensity: 0.500); range # 1 - coupled: 3.000 to 40.000; step size: 0.040; step time: 1.00; smoothing width: 0.300; and threshold: 1.0. The characteristic diffraction peaks at diffraction angles (2xcex8) in a powder X-ray diffraction analysis for the crystal form A are shown in Table 1.
The hydrate crystal form B of(+)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (xe2x88x92)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate is characterized in that the crystal provides high-intensity diffraction peaks at diffraction angles (2xcex8) of about 5.1, 8.1, 18.2, 18.8, 20.2, 20.8, 23.6, 25.8 and 26.0 in a powder X-ray diffraction pattern. The experimental conditions under which the powder X-ray diffraction was conducted are as follows: Cu anode; wavelength 1: 1.54056; wavelength 2: 1.54439 (Rel Intensity: 0.500); range # 1 - coupled: 3.000 to 40.000; step size: 0.040; step time: 1.00; smoothing width: 0.300; and threshold: 1.0. The characteristic diffraction peaks at diffraction angles (2xcex8) in a powder X-ray diffraction analysis for crystal form B are shown in Table 2.
The characteristic d-spacings, intensities, and 2-theta (2xcex8) values for the diffraction pattern of crystal forms A and B are shown below in Tables 1 and 2, respectively.
It is to be understood that the powder X-ray diffraction pattern is only one of many ways to characterize the arrangement of atoms comprising 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, 2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate and that other methods well known in the art, e.g. single crystal X-ray diffraction, Near Infrared Spectroscopy, etc. may be used to identify crystal forms A and B.
The present invention relates to a compound which is crystal form A of the compound (+)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-i-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (xe2x88x92)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate or (xe2x88x92)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (+)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate that exhibits a powder X-ray diffraction pattern having characteristic peaks expressed in degrees 2-theta at approximately 3.6, 6.2, 7.2, 9.5, 10.8, 17.2, 17.6, 19.2, and 22.1. This invention also relates to a crystal of (+)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (xe2x88x92)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate or (xe2x88x92)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (+)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate that exhibits a powder X-ray diffraction pattern having characteristic peaks expressed in degrees 2-theta at approximately the values shown in Table 1 above.
The present invention relates to a compound which is crystal form B of the compound (+)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (xe2x88x92)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate or (xe2x88x92)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (+)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate that exhibits a powder X-ray diffraction pattern having characteristic peaks expressed in degrees 2-theta at approximately 5.1, 8.1, 16.4, 18.2, 20.8, 21.4, 21.7, 24.4, 30.2, 32.1, 36.8 and 37.4. This invention also relates to a crystal of (+)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (xe2x88x92)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate or (xe2x88x92)-6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, (+)-2,3-dihydroxy butanedioate that exhibits a powder X-ray diffraction pattern having characteristic peaks expressed in degrees 2-theta at approximately the values shown in Table 2 above.
The invention also relates to a process for the preparation of the compounds of the formula I. The free base of formula I is prepared according to the manner described in Example 1. The free base has one chiral carbon at the 6-position. Example 2 discloses the method and process for preparation and separation the two enantiomers of the free base, 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one. The faster eluting enantiomer A causes the plane of polarization to rotate in counterclockwise (negative) direction, i.e., (xe2x88x92) enantiomer. While, the slower moving enantiomer B causes the plane of polarization to rotate in clockwise (positive) direction, i.e., (+) enantiomer.
The tartrate salts of the compound of formula I are made by mixing desired tartaric acid (i.e., D or L) with the free base 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one. The free base may be either the (xe2x88x92) or (+) enantiomer. The reaction to form crystal form B is done in a mixed solvent system, such as THF/water. Recrystallization of the tartaric salt of formula I in an organic solvent, such as ethyl acetate, at elevated temperatures results in the isolation of crystal form A.
In one preferred embodiment crystal form B is prepared according to the method comprising the steps of (i) charging a flask with free base of the compound of formula I and a solvent; (ii) addition of the tartrate salt to the free base solution followed by stirring to form a thick slurry; and (iii) isolation of the solids by filtration followed by drying. The aforementioned method to prepare crystal form B may be modified to make crystal form A. Following formation of the thick slurry in step (ii) dry ethyl acetate is added to the reaction flask and the stirred supension is atmospherically distilled. As solvent is distilled off fresh ethyl acetate is added, followed by distillation to a small volume. The reaction mixture is then granulated at ambient temperature followed by isolation of the solids (crystal form A) using filtration and vacuum drying.
Crystal form A of the present invention can be produced from isolated crystal form B. Crystal form A is produced by the steps of (i) heating the crystalline form B in an organic solvent, such as ethyl acetate; (ii) removing the water azeotropically followed by replacement with dry ethyl acetate; (iii) removing the solvent under atmospheric conditions to isolate the solids; and (iv) washing the solids using ethyl acetate and subjecting the product to vacuum drying at elevated temperatures, e.g., 40xc2x0 C. Note that it is also possible to remove the solvent in step (iii) under vacuum.
Crystal form A of the present invention may also be prepared directly without isolation of the crystal form B. For example, crystal form A may be produced by refluxing at 80xc2x0 C.-82xc2x0 C. for 1-hour a mixture of the free base of the compound of formula I (approximately 1.3 equivalents) with the tartrate salt in hot 2B ethanol (20 volume). The mixture is allowed to cool to room temperature slowly followed by stirring overnight. The solvent is then removed under atmospheric conditions and the isolated solid is dried.
The salts of the present invention may exist in amorphous form. Although, such forms may be unstable. However, such salts may be converted to crystalline forms according to methods well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, e.g., heating, etc.
It is to be understood that the methods described herein are only exemplary and are not intended to exclude variations in the above parameters which allow the production of crystal forms A and B in varying granulations and yields, according to the desired storage, handling and manufacturing applications of the compound. Crystal forms of the present invention may be further processed, such as granulation or milling, to form microcrystalline material suitable for bulk manufacturing purposes.
The crystal forms A and B can be characterized using powder X-ray diffractometry.
This invention also relates to a method for the treatment of abnormal cell growth in a mammal, including a human, comprising administering to said mammal an amount of a compound of the formula I, as defined above, a prodrug or solvate thereof, that is effective in inhibiting farnesyl protein transferase. In one embodiment of this method, the abnormal cell growth is cancer, including, but not limited to, lung cancer, bone cancer, pancreatic cancer, skin cancer, cancer of the head or neck, cutaneous or intraocular melanoma, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, rectal cancer, cancer of the anal region, stomach cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, carcinoma of the fallopian tubes, carcinoma of the endometrium, carcinoma of the cervix, carcinoma of the vagina, carcinoma of the vulva, Hodgkin""s Disease, cancer of the esophagus, cancer of the small intestine, cancer of the endocrine system, cancer of the thyroid gland, cancer of the parathyroid gland, cancer of the adrenal gland, sarcoma of soft tissue, cancer of the urethra, cancer of the penis, prostate cancer, chronic or acute leukemia, lymphocytic lymphomas, cancer of the bladder, cancer of the kidney or ureter, renal cell carcinoma, carcinoma of the renal pelvis, neoplasms of the central nervous system (CNS), primary CNS lymphoma, spinal axis tumors, brain stem glioma, pituitary adenoma, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing cancers. In another embodiment of said method, said abnormal cell growth is a benign proliferative disease, including, but not limited to, psoriasis, benign prostatic hypertrophy or restinosis.
This invention also relates to a method for the treatment of abnormal cell growth in a mammal, including a human, comprising administering to said mammal an amount of a compound of the formula I, as defined above, a prodrug or solvate thereof, that is effective in treating abnormal cell growth.
This invention also relates to a method for the treatment of abnormal cell growth in a mammal which comprises administering to said mammal a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of formula I, a prodrug or solvate thereof, in combination with an anti-tumor agent selected from the group consisting of mitotic inhibitors, alkylating agents, anti-metabolites, intercalating antibiotics, growth factor inhibitors, cell cycle inhibitors, enzymes, topoisomerase inhibitors, biological response modifiers, anti-hormones, and anti-androgens.
The present invention also relates to a method for the treatment of an infection in a mammal, including a human, that is facilitated by farnesyl protein transferase, such as hepatitus delta virus or malaria, which comprises administering to said mammal a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of formula I as defined above, a prodrug or solvate thereof.
This invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of abnormal cell growth in a mammal, including a human, comprising an amount of a compound of the formula I, as defined above, a prodrug or solvate thereof, that is effective in inhibiting farnesyl protein transferase, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In one embodiment of said composition, said abnormal cell growth is cancer, including, but not limited to, lung cancer, bone cancer, pancreatic cancer, skin cancer, cancer of the head or neck, cutaneous or intraocular melanoma, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, rectal cancer, cancer of the anal region, stomach cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, carcinoma of the fallopian tubes, carcinoma of the endometrium, carcinoma of the cervix, carcinoma of the vagina, carcinoma of the vulva, Hodgkin""s Disease, cancer of the esophagus, cancer of the small intestine, cancer of the endocrine system, cancer of the thyroid gland, cancer of the parathyroid gland, cancer of the adrenal gland, sarcoma of soft tissue, cancer of the urethra, cancer of the penis, prostate cancer, chronic or acute leukemia, lymphocytic lymphomas, cancer of the bladder, cancer of the kidney or ureter, renal cell carcinoma, carcinoma of the renal pelvis, neoplasms of the central nervous system (CNS), primary CNS lymphoma, spinal axis tumors, brain stem glioma, pituitary adenoma, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing cancers. In another embodiment of said pharmaceutical composition, said abnormal cell growth is a benign proliferative disease, including, but not limited to, psoriasis, benign prostatic hypertrophy or restinosis.
This invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of abnormal cell growth in a mammal, including a human, comprising an amount of a compound of the formula I, as defined above, a prodrug or solvate thereof, that is effective in treating abnormal cell growth, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
The invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of abnormal cell growth in a mammal, including a human, which comprises a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of formula I, as defined above, a prodrug or solvate thereof, in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and an anti-tumor agent selected from the group consisting of mitotic inhibitors, alkylating agents, anti-metabolites, intercalating antibiotics, growth factor inhibitors, cell cycle inhibitors, enzymes, topoisomerase inhibitors, biological response modifiers, anti-hormones, and anti-androgens.
This invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of an infection in a mammal, including a human, that is facilitated by farnesyl protein transferase, such as malaria or hepatitus delta virus, comprising an amount of a compound of the formula I, as defined above, a prodrug or solvate thereof, that is effective in treating abnormal cell growth, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
xe2x80x9cAbnormal cell growthxe2x80x9d, as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, refers to cell growth that is independent of normal regulatory mechanisms (e.g., loss of contact inhibition). This includes the abnormal growth of: (1) tumor cells (tumors) expressing an activated Ras oncogene; (2) tumor cells in which the Ras protein is activated as a result of oncogenic mutation in another gene; (3) benign and malignant cells of other proliferative diseases in which aberrant Ras activation occurs; and (4) any tumors that proliferate by virtue of farnesyl protein transferase.
The term xe2x80x9ctreatingxe2x80x9d, as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, means reversing, alleviating, inhibiting the progress of, or preventing the disorder or condition to which such term applies, or one or more symptoms of such disorder or condition. The term xe2x80x9ctreatmentxe2x80x9d, as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, refers to the act of treating as xe2x80x9ctreatingxe2x80x9d is defined immediately above.

Crystal forms of 6-[(4-chloro-phenyl)-hydroxy-(3-methyl-3H-imidazol-4-yl)-methyl]-4-(3-ethynyl-phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-quinolin-2-one, 2,3,- dihydroxybutanedioate salts and method of production

Abstract: and to pharmaceutical compositions containing the above compound, methods of treating hyperproliferative diseases, such as cancers, in mammals, especially humans by administering the above compound, and to methods of preparing the crystal forms of the above compound and related compounds.


A saw chain for a chain saw including alternating center and side link pairs with certain of said side links being cutting links and certain of said center links preceding said cutting links having guard portions to inhibit kick back. Said guard portions including a forward and rearward guard portion, the rearward guard portion in overlapping relation with a depth guide of the cutting link. A relief spacing between the guard portions facilitates chip carriage and the guard portions cooperatively form a ramp to guide wood being cut over and onto the depth gauge for controlling the depth of cut taken by the cutting link.

This invention relates to a saw chain for cutting wood, e.g. trees and logs, which saw chain includes a guard feature that inhibits the occurrence of kickback, and more particularly wherein the guard feature is provided on the center links of the saw chain preceding the saw chain cutters or cutting links.
A popular saw chain used on consumer-type chain saws is a xe2x85x9cxe2x80x3 pitch chain having a low profile and provided with side links having a guard feature. The guard feature is provided above the body portion of certain of the side links and extends substantially the length of the body portion and somewhat rearwardly of the body portion. Thus, a following side link cutter is substantially protected from taking an excessive bite or penetration into the wood, particularly when there is contact between the chain at the upper quadrant of the bar nose and the material being cut (when cutting with the nose) or accidental contact with nearby branch or the like. Such contact may induce kickback.
Although popular, this chain is perceived to cut less efficiently due to the presence of the guard feature and, from the manufacturer""s point of view, is more costly to produce than is desired.
A cost issue results from the significant number of parts that have to be produced and assembled for the prior chain. The parts include: 1. a left-hand cutter; 2. a right-hand cutter; 3. a standard center drive link; 4. a standard tie strap (that fits on either side of the chain); 5. a right-hand guard side link; and 6. a left-hand guard side link. It is desirable to provide a center drive link with a guard portion rather than a side link in that this reduces the number of parts from six to five (the center guard link replacing both left and right-hand side guard links).
Cutting speed is believed to be affected by the length and height of the guard portion, in that the gaps between the cutting teeth of the cutting links carry the chips that have been cut and when this space fills up (partially due to the presence of the guard portion), the cutting teeth are forced away from the kerf bottom, i.e. out of the cutting mode. However, it is known that a reduced, e.g., shortened guard portion for the side link (front to back) is not as effective in preventing kickback. Particularly during a nose cut, the depth gauge of the cutting link as well as a shortened guard portion will be pressed into the kerf bottom, thereby compressing the wood which allows the following cutting tooth to penetrate further into the kerf and take the undesired excessive bite that can cause kickback. The longer guard portion requires a greater pressure to compress the wood and, thus, more effectively guards against the undesired excessive bite problem.
The present invention provides a guard portion at least at the trailing portion of the center link and because the cutting link and center link are overlapped (they share a common pivotal connection), the upwardly extended trailing guard portion is positioned alongside the depth gauge of the cutting link. This double thickness of depth gauge and guard portion is believed to more effectively resist penetration into the wood fibers of the kerf bottom (as compared to an elongated single thickness) and substantially enhances the resistance to excessive penetration of the following cutting tooth. In the preferred embodiment, the guard portion is relieved in the center area forward of the trailing guard portion to provide added chip carrying capacity, and then the center link is provided with a leading guard portion formed to provide a ramping effect that assists in resisting cutting tooth penetration but without unduly restricting chip-carrying capacity.
In the preferred embodiment, the configuration of the leading and trailing portions of the center link are cooperatively formed so that the ramp of the leading portion ramps the wood being cut in a direction that projects above the leading edge of the trailing portion, the leading edge of the trailing portion being itself shaped to avoid presenting a corner that might dig into the kerf.
The invention will be more fully appreciated upon reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment having reference to the accompanying drawings. The cutting chain therein described has been found to be a lower-cost chain construction while providing improved cutting performance and without sacrificing safety.
A prior art patent that discloses a guard portion overlapping with the depth gauge is U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,830. However, the overlapping guard portion is provided on a preceding side link, the overlying guard portion extended rearwardly of the rear rivet of the side link which precedes the forward rivet of the cutting link. As will be noted from FIG. 3 thereof, the rearwardly extended guard portion pivots upwardly as the chain traverses the nose of the chain saw. Such upward pivoting inhibits the ability of the cutter to achieve a desired cutting penetration during nose cutting.

Saw chain having drive link with guard feature


The present invention is drawn to a method of conferring resistance to pathogenic fungi on a plant by transformation with a nucleic acid encoding Sarcotoxin 1a operatively linked to a signal peptide, and optionally linked via the hinge region of tobacco chitinase to a plant peptide, and plants thereby obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for efficiently producing a useful foreign protein in a plant. The present invention also relates to a method for expressing a foreign protein in a plant so as to provide the plant with a new property, and to the breeding of a plant. More specifically, the present invention relates to a plant containing a gene encoding an anti-bacterial peptide derived from a Diptera insect and which confers resistance to bacterial and fungal pathogens.
2. Description of the Related art
In the past, it has been reported that when a foreign gene is introduced into the nucleus of a plant cell, the productivity of a peptide, which is a foreign gene product, is at most 0.1% to 0.3% of the total proteins. Particularly, in the case where the product of the foreign gene is a small peptide (hereinafter, referred to as xe2x80x9ca short peptidexe2x80x9d) with a molecular weight of 7,000 or less, the product is likely to be degraded in a plant and is difficult to be accumulated in a great amount. Thus, there has been a demand for a method for efficiently expressing a short peptide.
When a foreign gene is introduced and expressed in a plant, a constitutive promoter, which is constantly expressed, such as the CaMV 35S promoter is mostly used. However, some possibilities are considered; for example, this expression method using the constitutive promoter may impose a burden at least on the plant""s ability to produce a protein and the expressed protein may adversely affect the plant. In fact, attempts to produce a protein encoded by a gene that affects the growth of a plant, such as a gene involved in the synthesis of a plant hormone, often result in failures. This adverse tendency is especially outstanding when one attempts to increase the productivity of the protein encoded by the gene introduced into the plant.
On the other hand, a study has been made on a technique for introducing a gene encoding an anti-bacterial peptide into a plant and expressing the anti-bacterial peptide so as to provide the plant with resistance to bacteria. In particular, it has been disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-250685 that Sarcotoxin 1a, which is an anti-bacterial peptide derived from a Diptera insect, was expressed in a plant in such a manner that the plant obtained anti-bacterial properties. However, since a short peptide such as Sarcotoxin 1a is expected to be unstable in plants, it is necessary to stabilize the peptide by producing it as a fusion protein with PR-1a which is an pathogenesis related protein of tobacco.
Furthermore, no plants have been discovered that produce an anti-bacterial peptide derived from a Diptera insect having anti-fungal activity, and confer resistance to pathogenic fungi.
According to the present invention, a plant which confers resistance to pathogenic fungi, includes a gene encoding an anti-bacterial peptide.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the pathogenic fungi are Rhizoctonia solani, Pythium aphanidermatum, and Phytophthora infestans.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the anti-bacterial peptide is derived from the Diptera insect.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the anti-bacterial peptide derived from the Diptera insect is Sarcotoxin 1a.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a gene encoding the anti-bacterial peptide derived from the Diptera insect is introduced into a plant in a form selected from the group consisting of: a recombinant gene containing the gene encoding the anti-bacterial peptide derived from the Diptera insect; an expression cassette in which the recombinant gene is bound to a plant promoter; and an expression vector composed of the expression cassette and a drug resistant gene linked to a plant promoter which is constitutively expressed.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the recombinant gene which encodes the anti-bacterial peptide derived from the Diptera insect is bound to a plant gene via a hinge region of tobacco chitinase.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the Sarcotoxin 1a is bound to a signal sequence of a plant protein.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the plant promoter is the inducible promoter of the tobacco PR-1a gene.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the expression cassette has a terminator derived from the tobacco PR-1a gene.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the expression vector further has a T-DNA region and a drug resistant gene.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the drug resistant gene is expressed by the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter.
According to the present invention, a plant with resistance to pathogenic bacteria, includes a gene selected from the group consisting of: a recombinant gene in which a gene encoding an anti-bacterial peptide is bound to a plant gene via a hinge region of tobacco chitinase, an expression cassette in which the recombinant gene is bound to a plant promoter, and a gene having the expression cassette and a drug resistance gene linked to a plant promoter which is constitutively expressed.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the pathogenic bacteria is Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci or Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the anti-bacterial peptide is Sarcotoxin 1a derived from a Diptera insect.
According to the present invention, a recombinant gene, in which a gene encoding an anti-bacterial peptide is bound to a plant gene via a hinge region of tobacco chitinase gene, is provided.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the gene encoding an anti-bacterial peptide is a gene encoding an anti-bacterial peptide derived from the Diptera insect.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the anti-bacterial peptide derived from the Diptera insect is Sarcotoxin 1a.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an expression cassette, in which the above-mentioned recombinant gene is bound to a plant promoter, is provided.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an expression vector for introducing the above-mentioned expression cassette into a plant is provided.
According to the present invention, a plant which confers resistance to pathogenic fungi and bacteria, includes a gene encoding a peptide which has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial activity.
The gene encoding the fusion protein of the present invention was introduced into a plant with the expression vector and expressed. As a result, the fusion protein was constitutively produced, and the productivity thereof increased by the induction of salicylic acid or the like. In addition, the fusion protein was cleaved at its linked site by the proteolytic activity of an unidentified protein which was induced by salicylic acid and TMV infection. This led to the induction of producing the respective free proteins from the fusion protein.
By using the recombinant gene, the expression cassette, or the expression vector of the present invention, a foreign protein can be constitutively produced as a fusion protein and the respective free proteins can be produced. Furthermore, the anti-bacterial peptide is expressed as a fusion protein with a plant gene by the method of the present invention, and thus, it is possible to obtain a plant which confers resistance to pathogenic fungi as well as pathogenic bacteria.
Thus, the invention described herein makes possible the advantages of (1) increasing the stability of a target foreign protein (peptide) in a plant by expressing the foreign protein as a fusion protein with other proteins; (2) providing an expression cassette or an expression vector containing the expression cassette, wherein the expression cassette expresses a recombinant gene encoding the fusion protein at a constitutively constant level, and the expression level inductively increases, thereby increasing the productivity of a foreign protein in a plant; (3) cleaving proteins once expressed as a fusion protein at its fusion site under an induced condition to produce the respective free proteins; (4) providing a plant transformed by using the expression cassette or expression vector; and (5) providing a plant which confers resistance to pathogens by using a protein having anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying figures.

Pathogen-resistant plants transformed with a DNA encoding sarcotoxin 1A linked to a signal peptide and a method for production thereof

National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences


A method, system, and computer program product for estimating a banding profile in an image printing system is disclosed. The method includes obtaining image data across multiple measurement intervals by a sensor; combining the image data with timing information into a coherent signal by a processor; determining aperiodic components of the coherent signal by the processor; determining the periodic component of the coherent signal using spline interpolation, wherein the periodic component represents a banding profile, by the processor; and printing an output print with a correction applied based on the banding profile.

An electrophotographic, or xerographic, image printing system employs an image bearing surface, such as a photoreceptor drum or belt, which is charged to a substantially uniform potential so as to sensitize the surface thereof. The charged portion of the image bearing surface is exposed to a light image of an original document being reproduced. Exposure of the charged image bearing surface selectively discharging the charge thereon in the irradiated areas to record an electrostatic latent image on the image bearing surface corresponding to the image contained within the original document. The location of the electrical charge forming the latent image is usually optically controlled. More specifically, in a digital xerographic system, the formation of the latent image is controlled by a raster output scanning device, usually a laser or LED source.
After the electrostatic latent image is recorded on the image bearing surface, the latent image is developed by bringing a developer material into contact therewith. Generally, the electrostatic latent image is developed with dry developer material comprising carrier granules having toner particles adhering triboelectrically thereto. However, a liquid developer material may be used as well. The toner particles are attracted to the latent image, forming a visible powder image on the image bearing surface. After the electrostatic latent image is developed with the toner particles, the toner powder image is transferred to a media, such as sheets, paper or other substrate sheets, using pressure and heat to fuse the toner image to the media to form a print.
The image printing system generally has two important dimensions: a process (or a slow scan) direction and a cross-process (or a fast scan) direction. The direction in which an image bearing surface moves is referred to as the process (or the slow scan) direction, and the direction perpendicular to the process (or the slow scan) direction is referred to as the cross-process (or the fast scan) direction.
Electrophotographic image printing systems of this type may produce color prints using a plurality of stations. Each station has a charging device for charging the image bearing surface, an exposing device for selectively illuminating the charged portions of the image bearings surface to record an electrostatic latent image thereon, and a developer unit for developing the electrostatic latent image with toner particles. Each developer unit deposits different color toner particles on the respective electrostatic latent image. The images are developed, at least partially in superimposed registration with one another, to form a multi-color toner powder image. The resultant multi-color powder image is subsequently transferred to a media. The transferred multicolor image is then permanently fused to the media forming the color print.
Banding generally refers to periodic defects on an image caused by a one-dimensional density variation in the process (slow scan) direction. Bands can result due to many different types of variations within components and/or subsystems, such as run out (variations in roll or drum diameter) in a developer roll or photoreceptor drum, wobble in the polygon mirror of the laser raster optical scanner (ROS), and the like. Various sources of banding exist in an image printing system and the frequencies of these sources may be known based on the mechanical design of the image printing system.
For banding correction, accurate estimation of the banding profile is critical. The banding profile includes components at the banding source frequency as well as its harmonics. The banding profile may have a shape that requires many harmonics in order to be accurately described.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Banding profile estimation using spline interpolation


A control knob for a control panel assembly having a panel to which a push-and-turn switch assembly is mounted, with the switch assembly having a stem axially movable and rotatable to effect actuation of the switch assembly. The control knob has a cap and a skirt. The cap is axially immobile relative to the stem, and the skirt is coupled with the stem for axial movement therewith. The skirt is axially moveable relative to the cap. An axial force acting on the cap is not transferred to the stem and an axial force acting on the skirt will cause axial movement of the stem.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a control knob for an appliance such as a stove.
2. Description of the Related Art
Control knobs are ubiquitous for appliances such as stoves which use a rotational control device to control energy delivery to a heating element. Such a control device has a stem portion connected to a valve, a rheostat, or a similar component, which can be rotated to selectively control the delivery of gas or electricity to the heating element. On the control device is frequently provided with a safety mechanism that prevents rotation of the stem portion unless the stem portion has first been depressed. Such devices are frequently referred to as "push and turn" control devices, and are in common use in the home appliance industry.
While such devices require both a pushing and a rotating action to operate the device, which prevents inadvertent rotation of the knob by, for example, small children, the knob can still be inadvertently depressed and rotated by a person bumping up against the appliance, or leaning over the appliance to reach something stored above the appliance.
There is a need for a control knob that resists inadvertent depression of a push and turn control device but which can be effectively utilized in activating a conventional push and turn control device.


A compressed trie has nodes including multiple character sub-strings. Such multiple character storage reduces the number of nodes in the trie, thereby reducing the amount of memory required for storing the trie and reducing the amount of time required to perform matching. Furthermore, in such a compressed trie, sub-strings are stored in a single character string. Each node references its corresponding sub-string by the sub-string's starting position and length in the character string. Multiple nodes may reference a single sub-string. Thus, referencing rather than storing sub-strings in corresponding nodes eliminates repetitive sub-string storage, thereby reducing the amount of memory required for storing the trie.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the field of database management, and, more specifically, to using a compressed data structure to estimate the amount of data processed by a query.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior to executing a query, a database management system (DBMS) may determine a "plan" for executing the query in the most efficient manner. To determine the plan, the DBMS estimates the amount of data that will be processed by a query at each stage of the execution. To make such estimation, the DBMS may use a data structure referred to as a "trie." The trie is a model of a set of strings stored in a collection of data such as, for example, a relational data table. The trie enables the DBMS to quickly determine the number of strings in the collection of data that match a like predicate in a query.
An exemplary conventional trie is shown in FIG. 1. The exemplary trie of FIG. 1 includes the following strings: apple, apply, applying, seated, and seating. As shown, the top node 110 in trie 100, which may be referred to as the "root" node, is empty. The remaining bottom nodes each include a single character. A square node identifies the last letter in each string. Tracing a path from the root node to a corresponding square node and concatenating the characters stored in the rightmost nodes at each level of the path forms each string.
A conventional trie such as trie 100 of FIG. 1 has several drawbacks. Because each node in the trie includes only a single character, the trie may include a large number of nodes that occupy a large amount of memory. Furthermore, character-by-character matching may require a lot of time to perform, thereby delaying query execution. Another drawback is that repetitive suffixes such as "ing", which is a suffix in both "applying" and "seating", are identified in the trie multiple times. Such suffix repetition increases the amount of memory required to store the trie and increases the time required to perform matching. Thus, there is a need in the art for a "compressed" trie, in which multiple characters may be stored in a single node. Furthermore, it is desired that repetitive suffixes be identified and eliminated from such a compressed trie.

System and method for using a compressed trie to estimate like predicates


The present invention relates to fluid dispensing devices for use in dispensing different liquids (e.g., bleach and bleach activator) from a bottle having first and second compartments. To minimize the presence of mixed composition residually present within the fluid dispensing device, it may be helpful to delay mixing. Separate dip tubes may be provided to pull liquid from the separate compartments, each with its own separate pump. Each pump may deliver the separate compositions to a spray nozzle of the device through separate delivery tubes (e.g., from the pumps to the nozzle). In other embodiments, a single delivery tube, and/or a single pump may be provided, e.g., where the volume of mixed composition that may be present in such pump and/or delivery tube may be sufficiently small so as to still provide overall desired efficacy characteristics. Dual delivery tube configurations may eliminate any need to prime the device by spraying out old, residual mixed composition.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments within the scope of the invention relate to a manual trigger-dispensing device for liquids for at least two substances, generally liquids, for example for the hygiene of the home, hospitals, restaurants, retail centers, deodorization of rooms, the treatment of fabrics before ironing, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Trigger devices are very widespread, as can be seen on supermarket shelves, and are especially prevalent due to their ease of use and functionality. Every year many hundreds of millions of pieces are produced. Among numerous types, there exist devices for dispensing two or more substances. By way of example, some compositions may exhibit increased efficacy when mixed or applied with another, companion composition.
There are trigger-dispensing device solutions for two or more substances, although the existing solutions sometimes may not provide good mixing of the substances to be combined (e.g., particularly at a desired ratio). In addition, it can be important to minimize or even eliminate the volume of any residual mixed composition still present within the dispensing device after a given use. Such problems frustrate the main purpose of such devices.

Dual chamber spray dispenser with a single delivery tube


A crusher unit includes a mainframe that supports a crusher suitable for crushing bulk material. The unit has a primary motor carried by the frame to drive a crusher via a first drive belt extending around a first drive pulley and a first flywheel mounted at the crusher. The unit further includes a secondary motor carried by the frame to provide a secondary drive to the crusher via a second drive belt extending around a first or a second flywheel mounted at the crusher and a second drive pulley.

A variety of different crushers have evolved suitable for processing stone, minerals and both domestic and industrial waste including construction materials to generate smaller particulate material and aggregate for subsequent use, processing or disposal. Conventional crushers include gyratory, impact, vibration and jaw crushers. Typically, the crusher is provided with a hopper for receiving the bulk material and a discharge conveyor to transfer the processed and crushed material to a discharge location.
Crushers may be categorised further into stationary crushers designed for large static installations that are assembled on site e.g., at a quarry or mine where they remain until the source of raw material is exhausted. There is also substantial demand for static crushers that are readily transportable from one site to another, for example on a low loader. A second category of crusher is regarded as mobile and typically comprises endless tracks mounted at an undercarriage which is in turn supported by a mainframe (or chassis) of the mobile unit. The chassis further supports the particular type of crusher mounted such as a jaw crusher and the primary motor used to drive both the crusher and the ground engaging tracks.
Conventionally, the primary motor provides drive of the crusher via a belt drive assembly in which a belt is mounted about a pair of pulleys connected respectively to a crusher drive shaft and a drive shaft at the motor (typically a diesel engine). The engine transfers drive to the crusher via a clutch that is engaged during crusher start-up and when the crusher stops or is jammed either by an uncrushable object or by choking. To protect the clutch and the primary motor in these situations, it is known to employ a secondary assistance motor.
JP 2012-96180 discloses a crusher drivable by an engine via a clutch and a secondary hydraulic motor where the two drives may be alternatively engaged for operation of the crusher to improve fuel consumption. UA-7189 discloses a jaw crusher drivably coupled to a main engine and a secondary electric motor via a common drive transmission extending around a drive pulley and a flywheel of the crusher. The motors may be drivably switched when starting the crusher to improve power consumption.
However, conventional multi-drive transmission arrangements are not optimised to provide a compact installation at the crusher unit and/or require additional components to transfer drive to the crusher via a single drive transmission. Accordingly, what is required is a crusher unit that addresses these problems.


A multimodality imaging system including a plurality of imaging systems, and at least one rail upon which at least one of the imaging systems is slidingly mounted.

The present invention relates generally to patient positioning systems for multimodality imaging systems, and particularly to maintaining linear and angular registration between a plurality of imaging systems of a multimodality imaging system.
Imaging systems acquire images of a patient, such as images of a suspected tumor, for diagnosis and subsequent treatment or therapy. Commonly used medical imaging systems include fluoroscopy, computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MRI) or position emission tomography (PET), for example.
Many imaging systems employ a patient table or couch (the terms being used interchangeably herein throughout the disclosure and claims) upon which a patient is supported throughout the imaging process. In general, the patient lies on the table, which may move along a first axis (generally the azimuth axis). The theoretical isocenter is defined as the symmetry axis of the gantry. The imaging system identifies the spatial coordinates of the suspected tumor, with reference to the isocenter, or for guiding the planning of surgery or other treatments. Accurate measurement of these coordinates is crucial for subsequent treatment of the suspected tumor, because the position of the tumor, as defined by the imaging system, is then used as the target for irradiation, such as by a stereotactic radiotherapy system A typical stereotactic radiotherapy system uses a linear accelerator (LINAC) gantry, which rotates about the longitudinal axis of the table. It is essential that the isocenter of the LINAC gantry be as close possible to the isocenter of the imaging system.
Multimodality imaging systems employ a plurality of imaging systems, such as CT and PET imaging heads or gantries aligned along a common longitudinal axis. The patient registration should be the same for both imaging systems. Specifically, the isocenter of the first imaging system should be aligned as accurately as possible with the isocenter of the second imaging system. This is not a trivial task because no mechanical assembly is perfect, due, inter alia, to tolerances and the act that mechanical parts are not infinitely stiff.
Some systems have attempted to solve this problem by means of a fixed alignment between the two imaging systems during the manufacturing process of the multimodality system. Basically this approach places high restrictions on tolerances and mechanical accuracies during production and assembly of the system. This method has the drawback of being quite expensive. Another approach is the use of a fixed calibration during assembly of the system. An accurate jigging fixture is used to align the two imaging systems with each other. This approach is less expensive than the first approach, but still has a disadvantage of being time-consuming. Both methods have a further disadvantage, in that if it is required to service one or more of the imaging systems, the systems must be re-aligned, which can be a cumbersome, time-consuming and tedious task.
The present invention seeks to provide improved apparatus that substantially maintains linear and angular registration between al plurality of imaging systems of a multimodality imaging system.
In the present invention, at least one of the imaging systems is slidingly mounted on a set of one or more rails. The rails may be adjusted linearly along a vertical axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rails, and adjusted rotationally about a third axis perpendicular to the two aforementioned axes. This provides several advantages. First, mounting one or more of the imaging systems on rails enables separating the imaging systems easily and quickly for servicing. Secondly, after servicing there is generally no need for time-consuming recalibration after re-positioning the displaced imaging system to its original position. Third, since the rails are capable of linear and rotational adjustment, the invention enables quick and straightforward initial calibration and alignment of the imaging systems with each other.
There is thus provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a multimodality imaging system including a plurality of imaging systems, and at least one rail upon which at least one of the imaging systems is slidingly mounted.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the at least one rail is adjustable linearly along a vertical axis generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the at least one rail.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the at least one rail is adjustable rotationally about another axis generally perpendicular to the vertical axis and the longitudinal axis.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a leveling device is provided which is operative to adjust a height of at least one of the imaging systems generally along a vertical axis generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the at least one rail.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention an isocenter of one of the imaging systems is substantially collinear with an isocenter of another of the imaging systems.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention one of the imaging systems includes a computerized tomography (CT) imaging system, and another of the imaging systems includes a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging system
There is also provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a multimodality imaging system including a plurality, of imaging systems, and a set of wheels attached to it least one of the imaging systems by means of an adjustable suspension assembly mounted to the at least one of the imaging systems.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the suspension assembly includes a linkage member pivotally mounted to the at least one of the imaging systems.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a leveling device is connected to the linkage member.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention an arresting device is adapted to fix at least one of the imaging systems at a predetermined location.
There is also provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a method for installing a multimodality imaging system, including providing at least one rail upon which at least one imaging system is slidingly mountable, aligning a first imaging system, such that the first imaging system is substantially aligned and leveled with a longitudinal axis of the at least one rail, and slidingly mounting a second imaging system on the at least one rail.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the first imaging system is also mounted on the at least one rail.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the second imaging system is aligned with the first imaging system such that an isocenter of the first imaging system is substantially collinear with an isocenter of the second imaging system.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the imaging systems are separated from each other by sliding the second imaging system along the at least one rail.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention at least one of the imaging systems is serviced after separating them from each other. The imaging systems may be slid back towards each other after servicing.


Neural networks may be used to determine and predict formation dip angles and perform quality assurance assessments from data collected with a multi-component induction tool used for well logging. The neural networks make use of corrected, rotated and normalized data to provide the predictions and assessments. Synthetic data using various models is used to train the neural networks. The teachings herein provide for real-time determinations with a substantial degree of accuracy in the results.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related generally to the field of interpretation of measurements made by well logging instruments for the purpose of determining the properties of earth formations. More specifically, the invention provides techniques for determination of formation dip and azimuth angles using induction measurements.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electromagnetic induction and wave propagation logging tools are commonly used for determination of electrical properties of formations surrounding a borehole. These logging tools give measurements of apparent resistivity (or conductivity) of the formation that, when properly interpreted, are diagnostic of the petrophysical properties of the formation and the fluids therein.
In thinly laminated sand-shale sequences or shaly-sand formations, the formation electrical anisotropy becomes important in determining the hydrocarbon saturation from the resistivity measurements. Due to the complexity of the formation, particularly the variations in the relative dip angle between the borehole axis and the formation dipping, determining the formation electrical anisotropy can be complicated. The deviation of the well and the rotation of the tool make determinations of anisotropy and other quantities more difficult.
There is a need for advanced methods for providing real-time determinations of the relative rotation of a measuring tool and formation dip angles, which provides users with information for further determining formation anisotropy. Preferably, the method should consistently provide accurate and reliable data and be computationally efficient.

Real time data quality control and determination of formation angles from multicomponent induction measurements using neural networks


A semiconductor chip gyroscopic transducer is disclosed in which a semiconductor element is supported in an outer element by a flexible linkage system which is in turn supported in a frame of semiconductor material by another flexible linkage system which permits the element to vibrate about two axes relative to the frame. Balanced torque forces are provided by a system of buried and bridge electrodes. The stress and tension resulting from doping of these elements are released by a flexure beam. The inertial mass of the inner element is balanced by formation in a central pin and on-chip electronics avoids the capacitive loading effects of long runs from high impedance sources.. Flexure footings are intergrated with the structure adding stability to flexures connecting the supported gyroscopic resonator element to the supporting structure, offsetting a rippling effect inherent in the oxide structure. Flexure grooves provide selective stiffness in the flexure. The bridge electrodes are additionally electrically isolated for electrical compatibility with gyroscope electronics.

Semiconductor fabrication techniques are in use to produce micromechanical structures from silicon wafers. Such micromechanical structures have the potential of mass production at a very low cost.
Illustrative of this particular technology is U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,585 to Boxenhorn, which discloses a planar micromechanical vibratory gyroscope adapted for small geometry configurations which may be constructed using semiconductor fabrication mass production techniques.
Further advances in micromechanical gyroscopic transducer technology are described in Applicant's co-pending U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 07/143,515, filed Jan. 13, 1988, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP TRANSDUCER which is incorporated herein by reference.
Other advances in micromechanical gyroscopic technology are described in Applicant's pending U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 372,653 entitled BRIDGE ELECTRODES; and U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 07/470,938 entitled MICRO-MECHANICAL DEVICE WITH A TRIMMABLE RESONANT FREQUENCY STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF TRIMMING SAME; all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The infancy of monolithic micromechanical semiconductor gyroscopic transduction technology assures that significant advances will continue to be made with respect to implementation and application of the technology. As structures are implemented having increased sensitivity and accuracy, problem areas are identified and solutions defined. Presently, shortcomings with respect to "rippling" of an oxide support frame from which an outer flexure extends connecting a resonating structure thereto are observable. "Buckling" of inner flexures, results in undesirable large variations in a critical resonant frequency of a suspended gyroscopic element. Furthermore, surface bridge electrodes used for sensing and for rebalancing of a certain axis of a resonating structure have large capacitances to the substrate limiting effectiveness as signal pickoffs.

Semiconductor chip gyroscopic transducer

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.