A novel Flame Temperature Analyzer (FTA) method and apparatus for measuring combustible gas concentration and oxygen content in a sample gas includes supplying a mixture of oxidant and fuel to a sensing flame and measuring the temperature of the flame as the sample is added to the combustion chamber.

Description of Related Art
Measurement of combustibles gases and oxygen in industrial processes can prevent fires and explosions. The National Fire Protection Association NFPA-86 Standard for Ovens and Furnaces (NFPA-86) defines the safety requirements for flammability measurements in industrial processes that use combustible substances, typically solvents, for printing, painting, coating or treating various materials, which are then dried in ovens. For combustible gases, this is achieved by keeping the concentration under the Lower Flammable Limit, or LFL, below which the combustible gas cannot propagate a flame. A margin of safety is often required, so that the limit to an industrial operation is often expressed as a percentage of the LFL, for example 50% LFL. For oxygen, this means keeping the concentration, by a safe margin, under the limiting oxygen concentration, or LOC, below which there is insufficient oxygen for an explosion, for example 3% oxygen below the LOC.
Efforts to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from industrial sources have resulted in the widespread use of thermal oxidizers. VOCs that were once released to the atmosphere are now captured and transported to an oxidizer to be destroyed. Since VOCs are combustible, they can form explosive mixtures in air. The thermal oxidizer, as well as the process ductwork which transports the VOCs to the oxidizer, must be protected. The oxidizer is a near-certain source of ignition to an explosive mixture, and the oxidizer's function requires sufficient oxygen to support combustion, so the primary method of protection is to limit the concentration of VOCs to a level safely below the LFL.
Recent improvements in manufacturing techniques have led to increases in throughput, which can mean that higher volumes of combustibles must be handled safely. It is not uncommon for a particular process with a long history of safe operation to experience an incident after a seemingly unrelated change in speed, formulation, or temperature causes an unintentional increase in the concentration of combustibles.
The drive to become energy efficiency focuses on reducing the amount of fuel used for heating, which is sometimes achieved by reducing ventilation, and in so doing, results in higher concentrations of combustibles. The need to measure flammability accurately under a wide range of conditions is more important than ever.
Process conditions can vary widely. The types of combustible gases and their proportions, the oxygen concentration, water vapor content, and other gases in the process might be unpredictable, or may vary over a wide range. The conditions during normal operation might be well defined, but under a potentially hazardous process upset, these conditions may be significantly different than what was originally anticipated. An analyzer capable of giving a reliable alarm under the widest range of potential circumstances is needed.
For example, a kiln in which ceramics are fired have rarely experienced problems in the past, but now kilns may have more complex parts with greater surface areas, using shorter cycle times, and more volatile binders. The concentration of combustibles can now reach very high concentrations. Furthermore, the process can generate an extremely wide range of combustible vapors—many different hydrocarbon species of varying molecular weights, plus hydrogen or carbon monoxide, depending upon the kiln conditions at the time the vapors are generated. In some cases more than forty different hydrocarbon species can be detected within the kiln atmosphere. The kiln temperature and oxygen range is also extremely broad. It is difficult to predict the type of combustible vapor that may be present, so an analyzer with a universal response to combustible gases that also can tolerate wide ranges of temperature and oxygen is needed.
NFPA-86 describes the characteristics of analyzers used in the measurement of combustible gases in industrial processes. These include catalytic bead sensor, infrared absorption analyzer (IR), flame temperature analyzer (FTA), and flame ionization detector (FID). It makes clear the need to choose an analyzer with the correct characteristics. The analyzer should be fast, accurate and reliable.
"The choice of the appropriate type depends on factors such as the solvent composition, the need for calibration of more than one solvent, the necessary response time of the measurement system, and the ability to handle factors such as contaminants and oxygen content."
Control Instruments Corporation developed the FTA, or flame temperature analyzer. One embodiment of this analyzer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,200. It is well suited for flammability measurements under a wide range of conditions. It uses a temperature detector to measure the heat produced by a small "sensing flame." The sensing flame is typically fueled by a small, continuous flow of propane or hydrogen fuel. A sample is extracted from the atmosphere being monitored. The sensing flame sits in a combustion chamber that is completely filled with the sample. A temperature detector is positioned a short distance above the sensing flame, where it can sense the heat produced by the sensing flame. When combustible gases are absent from the sample, the temperature detector receives heat only from fuel combustion: it is at the "zero temperature as in 0% LFL." When combustible gases appear in the sample, they diffuse into the sensing flame, are burned, release heat, and produce a temperature rise in the temperature detector that is directly proportional to the flammability of the sample. The FTA analyzer is calibrated with a gas having a known flammability, so that resulting rise in temperature above the zero temperature, known as the "span temperature," is determined. Following calibration, the flammability of a sample can be calculated from the zero and span temperatures.
A significant advantage of the FTA analyzer is its uniform response to a wide variety of combustible gases and vapors. This is extremely useful when the combustible gases, or their relative proportions in a mixture, are unknown. Experiments have shown that this is achieved through diffusion of combustible gases from the sample into the sensing flame.
One of the few disadvantages of the FTA has been the effect that varying concentrations of oxygen in the sample can have on the zero temperature. The sensing flame requires oxygen from the sample. As the sample's oxygen concentration decreases, the flame begins to starve. It grows larger and changes shape. This in turn produces a false signal, called the oxygen effect, which is equivalent to a shift in the zero temperature of about +1% LFL for every 1% decrease in the sample's oxygen concentration. Below a 10% sample oxygen concentration, the flame begins to destabilize, and the error signal declines somewhat. At about 6% the sensing flame is extinguished, which is called flameout. The FTA oxygen effect is equivalent to a change in zero temperature because it is independent of the concentration of combustible gases in the sample.
An important characteristic of the FTA's sensing flame is its inherently failsafe design. The "zero" temperature of approximately 500° C. disposes the device to readily reveal faults. For example, a failure of flow to the analyzer, such as can occur from a clogged sample tube, will cause flameout from oxygen starvation and produce a significant negative deflection in the measurement circuit that is readily distinguished from valid measurements. A fault signal can therefore signal this condition to prevent mis-interpretation of the analyzer reading. To maintain this failsafe characteristic, the design of the sensing flame must ideally be such that oxygen starvation causes only positive deflections in measurement right up to the point of flameout, at which point a sudden and complete destabilization of the flame, and flameout, occurs. In this way, errors may cause exaggerated readings, but can never under-report the concentration of combustibles.
The accuracy of measurement typically required of a flammability analyzer by industry standards is +/−3% LFL. An improvement to the FTA which would reduce the oxygen effect below this accuracy limit is therefore desirable. Because they both exceed the limit to accuracy, and also underreport the concentration of combustibles, errors more negative than −3% LFL are particularly undesirable.
One attempt by Control Instruments Corporation to improve the FTA is called air dilution. Air dilution is a sample preparation technique, whereby equal amounts of air and sample are mixed together to form an air-sample mixture that is then drawn into the analyzer. By using equal amounts of air and sample, known as a 1:1 air dilution ratio, the air-sample mixture will always contain at least 10% oxygen, which prevents instability and flameout. However, air dilution by itself does not improve the oxygen effect. Even though the magnitude of the oxygen effect is halved, so too is the concentration of combustible gases. So the error from the oxygen effect remains in equal proportion to the flammability signal. The analyzer's indicated reading will still have about the same error, expressed in terms of % LFL. Furthermore, the signal to noise ratio is unfavorably decreased, and the sample preparation apparatus introduces a new source of error. Unintentional variations in the ratio of air to sample can cause significant errors in the measurement.
Due to the limitations given above, air dilution and support air techniques have been used only where absolutely necessary to prevent flameout, but so far have not led to a significant improvement in performance of the analyzer.
Until this time, there has been no satisfactory solution to the oxygen problem in a flame temperature analyzer. However, an apparently similar problem has been solved in a related device, the flame ionization detector, or FID.
The FID is one of the most well known and widely used methods for the analysis of hydrocarbons. It uses an electrometer, a sensitive ammeter, to measure the ion current formed by the combustion of hydrocarbons in a hydrogen flame. The sample is mixed with fuel and is then injected into the burner. The flame sits in a combustion chamber that is filled with pure combustion air. The flame draws oxygen from this combustion air, which is delivered to the combustion chamber at an optimal rate, in order to keep the flame stable with an excess of oxygen at a constant concentration.
A FID that uses pure hydrogen fuel can have a large error, called an oxygen dependency or oxygen synergism, when the oxygen concentration in the sample changes. This error can be equivalent to a span shift of 30 percent or more. The zero is unaffected. One explanation for this behavior is that variations in the sample oxygen concentration can change the rate of ion production in the flame. The solution to oxygen dependency in a FID is the addition of inert gas, such as nitrogen or helium, in the proportion 40% hydrogen to 60% nitrogen or helium. The solution is well known, and is described in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Method 25A for measuring hydrocarbon pollutants with a FID.
For a FID, adding inert gas, for example nitrogen, reduces the oxygen concentration of the hydrogen-nitrogen-sample mixture so that it cannot burn until it is provided with oxygen from the combustion air that surrounds the flame. Thus all the hydrocarbons burn in the outer mantle of the flame and produce ions at a rate that is independent of the oxygen concentration in the sample and only depends on the concentration of hydrocarbons.
If the inert gas is not added to the fuel in a FID, and the concentration of oxygen in the sample can vary, the oxygen concentration of the fuel-sample mixture can sometimes be sufficient to burn as it exits the burner, and at other times insufficient to burn. Ions are produced, and collected as a signal, at a different rate when there is partial burning of the sample as it exists the burner, so signal strength depends on both the concentration of hydrocarbons and on the Concentration of oxygen in the sample.
To one familiar with the FID, it might then seem reasonable to apply this solution to the FTA. However, experiments with hydrogen-nitrogen fuel have shown that the solution to the oxygen problem for the FID is not so useful for a FTA. Hydrogen-nitrogen fuel reduces the FTA oxygen effect only partially, produces an "unsafe" error, and greatly increases fuel costs.
Monitoring a process to prevent fire or explosion is most commonly performed continuously, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Compared to pure hydrogen, a hydrogen-nitrogen mixture is more than twice as costly and is consumed at nearly three times the rate. Overall, the hydrogen-nitrogen fuel is several times more expensive to use than pure hydrogen, and requires three times the rate of cylinder changes.
Hydrogen-nitrogen fuel also has the disadvantage of a negative deflection in reading from the oxygen effect. The error produced by changes in oxygen concentration is therefore not failsafe, and so is more undesirable than other types of error.
A method is needed that removes the oxygen effect from the FTA, without requiring a more expensive fuel supply, and without reducing signal strength or otherwise degrading performance.
The present invention solves this problem in two ways. One method is an improvement to air dilution, in which the flame is enriched with fuel. The other method uses air premixed with the fuel to stabilize the flame. Both methods give a significant advantage in performance of the FTA. They can be used alone, or in combination, to produce a FTA with a minimum oxygen effect.
The flame enrichment technique gives better than 50% reduction in oxygen effect without requiring a more expensive fuel, and only at the cost of a somewhat higher rate of fuel consumption. The technique uses a higher rate of fuel flow to establish a flame with a higher initial "zero" temperature than in the typical FTA. When this is done, the flame is about 125° C. hotter in zero conditions. It also is less prone to flameout, and has a lower magnitude of oxygen effects over the entire oxygen range. Its sole benefit that, somewhat surprisingly, makes it useful in the analyzer, is that the majority of the oxygen effect occurs at concentration below 10% by volume oxygen. The upward shift in reading in the range of oxygen between 10% and 20.9% by volume is reduced for this larger flame. Combining the larger flame with air dilution overcomes one of the limitations of the air dilution previously described.
The second method improves the FTA oxygen effect by using a method nearly opposite that of a FID. The FTA oxygen effect is removed by the addition of air to provide both oxygen and nitrogen to the fuel. This surprising outcome arises from significant differences in the principle of operation of the FTA compared to the FID. Although both analyzers use flames, the FID depends upon ion production and the FTA depends upon heat formation. As a consequence, the FID can not measure combustibles gases that produce no ions, such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide, but a FTA can. Furthermore, the FID gives a more or less direct measure of the amount of hydrocarbon in the sample, while the FTA measures the flammability of the sample. For optimal ion production, the FID must have sample premixed with fuel and injected into the burner. For measurement of flammability, the FTA must have the sample diffuse into the flame, and can not have the sample premixed with fuel and injected into the burner.
The oxygen dependency in the FID is removed by ensuring that the burner always has less than approximately 6% oxygen, so that there is never a combustion zone at the tip of the burner, and so that the rate of ion production can not be influenced by the presence, absence, or attenuation of this combustion zone as the sample oxygen concentration changes.
Mixing a small amount of air with the fuel before it is injected into the burner prevents the oxygen effect in a FTA. The amount of air is surprisingly small. It is not enough to fully support combustion of all the fuel—in fact, experiments have shown that too much air, and in particular a stoichiometric concentration, degrades performance. The amount of air needed to remove the oxygen effect from the FTA is that amount which provides just enough oxygen, about 10% by volume, to form a combustion zone deep within the flame at the tip of the burner, and at the same time enough nitrogen from the added air to stabilize the flame by lowering the velocity gradient at the base of the flame. As a result, the oxygen effect is almost completely removed. Most significantly, performance is not otherwise affected. The relatively small amount of added air does not interfere with the diffusion of the sample into the sensing flame. The signal strength and performance of the analyzer are not compromised. Furthermore, because a compressed air supply is already necessary for the operation of the FTA, the addition of air can be easily achieved without requiring the burden or added expense of a special fuel supply.
Hydrogen-oxygen fuel, in addition to the same problem of cost as hydrogen-nitrogen fuel, has the added element of fuel safety concerns. Mixtures of 10% by volume oxygen in hydrogen eliminate approximately half of the undesirable oxygen effect in a FTA. However, this mixture is not safe or legal to store in a compressed gas cylinder. It could be produced by mixing, but would require the significant added expense of an additional oxidant supply system that would, for safety reasons, have to be separate from the hydrogen supply system.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,363, Hofman et al, describes a method of removing the oxygen dependence in a FID by the addition of air to the fuel-sample mixture before injecting the combined air-fuel-sample mixture into the burner. Hofman also describes the benefit of using "regular air" as the "compensating gas," in order to avoid the complexity and cost of "synthetic air" from a compressed gas cylinder. At first glance, Hofman would appear to foresee the addition of air to fuel in a FTA analyzer. But under further examination, the mechanism by which Hofman removes the FID oxygen dependency is consistent with that described above for FID fuels made up of nitrogen and hydrogen, or helium and hydrogen. The ratios of hydrogen flow, sample flow, and airflow are such that the oxygen concentration of the total air-fuel-sample mixture that is ultimately delivered to the burner will vary from about 4% oxygen to about 6% oxygen when the sample oxygen concentration varies from 0% to 21%. This is achieved by using a relatively low percentage of sample in the total mixture. One can reason that the widespread use of nitrogen and helium in FID fuel supplies, and not air, is due to the fact that the prevailing method allows three times as much sample to be burned, and thus yields three times as much signal strength, while still keeping the air-fuel-sample mixture to the burner at or below about 6% oxygen, where combustion at the burner tip can not occur.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,178, Amirav et al, describes a FID having a hydrogen-oxygen fuel supply from an electrolyzer. The benefit of this design is in greater portability and simplification of the gas management system. Amirav does not disclose the effect that this fuel scheme has on the signal strength, or oxygen dependency, compared to a conventional FID. The ratio of hydrogen to oxygen in the fuel is derived from its origin in the electrolysis of water. When electrolyzed, water releases hydrogen and oxygen in a ratio of two parts by volume hydrogen for every one part by volume oxygen. Amirav uses oxygen and hydrogen, at a combined rate of 23 milliliters per minute, mixed with up to 8 milliliters per minute of sample, for a total of 31 milliliters per minute delivered to the burner. The oxygen-hydrogen-sample mixture to the burner will have a range of oxygen concentrations from a minimum of 24% oxygen to a maximum of 30% oxygen. It is likely that the Amirav device could still have a significant oxygen dependency if it is used to measure a sample having a varying concentration of oxygen.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,205, Karas et al, describes a FID that is optimized to have a small flame size and relatively high signal strength by injecting air, fuel, and sample into the burner, and by providing and a minimum of excess combustion air to support the flame. In the Karas device, the problem of oxygen dependency does not arise. The sample contains only hydrocarbon eluted from a chromatographic column using hydrogen, and therefore there is no sample oxygen. The oxygen concentration in the burner is determined completely by the air-fuel ratio, and can be held constant by controlling the proportion of air and fuel. No oxygen effect is discussed, most likely because none is anticipated, because the device is intended for use in a chromatographic column. If the Karas device is adapted for use with a sample in air with varying concentrations of oxygen, then the problem of oxygen dependency would arise.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,095, Forsberg, describes a FID that is optimized to give a more uniform response to different hydrocarbons in an "air sample." This is achieved by mixing the sample and fuel in approximately equal proportions and injecting the mixture into the burner, while at the same time using the sample as combustion air to support the flame. The Forsberg device is adapted for use with the so called "air sample" wherein one can anticipate little or no variation in oxygen concentration. The device would certainly exhibit an oxygen dependency if it were used to sample for an atmosphere having varying concentrations of oxygen. In fact, the Forsberg device can be expected to have a greater oxygen dependency than the traditional FID because it uses sample in place of combustion air and so has a dependency from the sample in the burner as well as a dependency from the sample surrounding the flame.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,664, Zaremba et al, describes a flame photometric detector in which an arrangement of two nozzles, having fuel, sample and oxidant, can be used to ensure continuity of measurement by the prevention of flameout. It does not address oxygen effects, nor does it optimize performance, but rather keeps the flame lit so that the measuring process is not terminated by a flameout. By providing two burners across which the flame can jump over, a condition normally causing flameout will instead cause jump-over and then, when the condition clears again, jump-over and resumption of measurement without termination. This approach is useful only in the prevention of flameout that would otherwise interrupt the measuring process.
Other prior art patents exist in which gas measurements are made by a flame.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,437,720, Ackley, uses a change in flame temperature of a premixed flame to detect changes in oxygen concentration. The flame however, is a premixed flame, not a diffusion flame. The flame sits in a combustion chamber filled with air. The sample is premixed with fuel and burned in the flame. Changes in the oxygen concentration of the sample influence the flame temperature. The presence of combustible gases in the sample would confound the oxygen measurement.
Although many prior art patents describe various aspects of the improvements of premixed flames for gas measurement, none concerns itself with the use of a diffusion flame for flammability measurements. The premixed flame is useful for the measurement of total hydrocarbons by weight in a gas as in a FID, or for measurement of the heat of combustions as in a calorimeter, but it is not useful for the measurement of flammability. U.S. Pat. No. 2,818,246, Kappel, describes the measurement of heat treating gases. Air is premixed with fuel, which is then converted in a gas generator and burned in a flame. The premixed air is already consumed by the gas generator prior to being burned in the flame. U.S. Pat. No. 3,086,848, Reinecke, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,711 Amirav, are for FID analyzers in which fuel and sample are premixed, and the flame sits in a combustion chamber filled with air. Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,382,698 and 4,415,278, Szonntagh, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,776, Clingman, describe colorimeters having fuel premixed with sample.
Unlike the other premixed flame techniques, the diffusion flame enables a direct measurement of flammability in which the variation in response for various combustible gases is minimized. "Diffusion flames can best be described as the combustion state controlled by mixing phenomena—i.e. the diffusion of fuel into oxidizer, or vice versa—until some flammable mixture ratio is reached" (Glassman, Combustion 3rd Edition.). For the great majority of combustible gases, at the LFL, this flammable mixture ratio produces a uniform span temperature. This effect cannot be achieved in a premixed flame.
The invention therefore provides a new means to improve the characteristics of a FTA without reducing performance or adding significant cost. In addition, the invention also enables a new method of oxygen measurement that is useful when existing methods don't work well, such as measuring the concentration of oxygen in a process containing combustible gases.
The CENELEC standard EN 50073 describes characteristics of methods for measuring combustible gases. It includes those listed in NFPA-86, and also some methods for oxygen detection, including electrochemical and paramagnetic. Measurement of oxygen using zirconium oxide sensors is also widely used, except in cases where combustible gases can interfere with the oxygen measurement.
Oxygen measurement can help prevent explosions by indicating the oxygen concentration and giving an alarm when the concentration of oxygen is sufficient to support a fire or explosion. The "limiting oxygen concentration" is the concentration of oxygen below which an explosion is not possible. By keeping an industrial process below the limiting oxygen concentration, fires and explosions are prevented. The devices most commonly used to measure oxygen include paramagnetic, electrochemical and zirconium oxide types.
Electrochemical oxygen sensors have a liquid or gelled electrolyte, which reacts to produce an electric current in the presence of oxygen. One limitation of the electrochemical oxygen sensor is that the operating temperature range is not high enough to monitor certain industrial processes without the use of an expensive and potentially error-prone conditioning apparatus.
Zirconium oxide sensors, also known as solid electrochemical sensors, are also well known. They operate at elevated temperatures, and so can often measure directly from industrial processes. One limitation of the zirconium oxide sensor is that its operating temperature is high enough to promote burning of combustible gases on the surface of the sensing element, thus lowering the measured oxygen concentration by the amount of oxygen consumed.
Paramagnetic oxygen analyzers are also well known. They can effectively measure the oxygen concentration in the industrial process, but they cannot make a measurement of the concentration of combustible gases.
Certain industrial processes that employ high temperatures, such as ceramic kilns and metal coating, are heated directly by burners which discharge the products of combustion into the atmosphere to be measured. This can cause the oxygen concentration to vary over a wide range. These processes may also have concentrations of combustible gases that vary significantly over time or throughout the process, so that measurement of both oxygen and combustibles is necessary. It may be advantageous to measure the process to ensure that there is neither sufficient oxygen nor sufficient combustibles to cause an explosion. In a particular process, it might also be necessary to monitor the concentration of combustible gases at one time or place, and to monitor the oxygen concentration at another. Process safety may require the combustible gas concentrations to be below the LFL when the oxygen concentration is above the LOC during one phase of operation, and then it may require the combustible gases to be below the LFL when the oxygen concentration is above the LOC during another phase. For these processes, a gas analyzer that can accurately measure combustible gases in the presence of varying concentrations of oxygen is needed. In addition, a gas analyzer that can accurately measure oxygen in the presence of combustible gases is needed. The gas analyzer must accurately measure a mixture of combustible gases and oxygen, and can give an alarm if there is present both sufficient oxygen and sufficient combustibles to support a fire or explosion.
The invention also allows a new type of oxygen measurement that solves a problem with the prior art techniques of oxygen measurement. The measurement of oxygen concentration in the presence of combustible gases can be achieved by comparing the signal with and without air added to the fuel. Because the oxygen effect in the FTA is relatively independent of the presence of combustible gases, this comparison can yield a measurement of the oxygen concentration that is independent of the presence of combustible gases.

Gas analyzer for measuring the flammability of mixtures of combustible gases and oxygen


In an electric disc brake a stator and a rotor of an electric motor are disposed in a caliper body, and a rotation of the rotor is converted into a linear movement by a ball-ramp mechanism. Such linear movement is transmitted to a piston, so that brake pads are urged against a disc rotor by the piston and a pawl member. Two external gears are provided on the rotor and internal gears are provided on two discs of the ball-ramp mechanism so that, due to engagement between the external gears and the internal gears, the two discs of the ball-ramp mechanism are rotated with a given rotational ratio with respect to the rotor to cause differential movement which in turn causes one of the discs to shift, thereby advancing the piston.

The present invention relates to an electrically-driven disc brake for generating a braking force by a rotational force of an electric motor.
Among such disc brakes, There is an electric disc brake in which a caliper body is floatingly supported by a carrier secured to a non-rotating portion of a vehicle, and the caliper body is provided with a piston opposed to one of a pair of brake pads supported by the carrier on both sides of a disc rotor, an electric motor, and a motion converting mechanism for converting rotation of a rotor of the electric motor into a linear movement and for transmitting such movement to the piston. In such an electric disc brake, when an operator depresses a brake pedal, a force acting on the brake pedal (or displacement amount) is detected by a sensor, and the rotation of the electric motor is controlled by a controller on the basis of a detection result to obtain a desired braking force.
A ball-screw mechanism or a ball-ramp mechanism has been mainly used as the motion converting mechanism for converting the rotation of a rotor of an electric motor into the linear movement and for transmitting such movement to a piston since they can provide large thrust or braking force. However in conventional electric disc brakes, There has been no special speed reduction mechanism between the electric motor and the motion converting mechanism. Therefore, motor torque, thence, a motor body is made large and thus the caliper body itself also made bulky, thereby worsening installation capability onto the vehicle.
In some cases, the speed of the rotation of a motor is decreased by using a planetary gear and the rotation is converted into a linear movement by a precise roller-screw mechanism to generate a thrust force thereby to obtain the braking force. However, since a great speed reduction ratio cannot be achieved by the planetary gear, There is limitation in compactness of the electric motor, and, thus, the fundamental solution cannot be achieved.
Further, in some cases, the speed of the rotation of a motor is decreased by using a worm gear and the rotation is converted into a linear movement by a precise roller-screw mechanism to generate a thrust force thereby to obtain the braking force. In this case, however, since the precise roller-screw mechanism is located perpendicular to the worm gear, the interior of the caliper body cannot be utilized efficiently, with the result that There is limitation in compactness of the caliper body, and, thus, the fundamental solution cannot be achieved.
The present invention is made in consideration of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric disc brake in which motor torque can be reduced by incorporating a speed reduction mechanism capable of a great speed reduction ratio without a significant installation space, thereby making a motor and a caliper body more compact.
In the present invention, since the great speed reduction ratio can be obtained, a great brake operating force can be obtained by a small torque of the motor. This means that the number of revolutions of a rotor of the motor becomes relatively high. Accordingly, if pad clearance becomes too great, since it takes a long time for starting the operation of the brake, it is more important that the pad clearance is always kept constant in comparison with the conventional electric disc brakes.
In this regard, conventionally, as a pad wear following mechanism capable of being applied to the electric disc brake, for example, There has been proposed a mechanism by which, in providing a coil spring, and a one-way clutch or a non-reversible screw, a wear following operation is effected by utilizing rotation of a rotor of an electric motor (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 55-69337 and International Publication No. WO 99/02885).
Further, although various wear following mechanisms capable of being applied to the electric disc brake have been proposed, since an amount of adjustment through one step is small and since a manual operation must be effected when the piston is retracted, exchange of pads becomes troublesome and time-consuming.
Accordingly, another object of the present invention is to provide an electric disc brake having a pad wear adjusting mechanism in which an amount of adjustment through one step can be increased and a piston can be retracted by rotation of a motor.
To achieve the above objects, according to the present invention, There is provided an electric disc brake in which a caliper body is floatingly supported by a carrier secured to a non-rotating portion of a vehicle, and the caliper body is provided with a piston opposed to one of a pair of brake pads supported by the carrier on both sides of a disc rotor, an electric motor, and a motion converting mechanism for converting rotation of a rotor of the electric motor into a linear movement and for transmitting such movement to the piston. A differential speed reduction mechanism is disposed between the rotor of the electric motor and the motion converting mechanism.
In the present invention, the differential speed reduction mechanism may be interposed between the rotor and the motion converting mechanism along an axial direction of the rotor. In this case, a diameter of the electric motor can be made smaller.
Further, in the present invention, the motion converting mechanism may comprise two rotary members as constructural elements, and the differential speed reduction mechanism may be provided with a gear mechanism for generating a difference in number of revolutions between two rotary members.
In this case, when the motion converting mechanism comprises a ball-ramp mechanism, the two rotary members are constituted by two rotary discs opposed to each other with the interposition of balls, and, when the motion converting mechanism comprises a ball-screw mechanism, the two rotary members are constituted by a nut and a threaded shaft. For a gear mechanism for the former, a combination of two external gears provided in coaxial arrangement with the rotor of the electric motor, and internal gears provided on the two rotary discs of the ball-ramp mechanism, respectively, and meshed with the external gears independently is used. On the other hand, for a gear mechanism for the latter, a combination of two internal gears provided in coaxial arrangement with the rotor of the electric motor, and external gears provided on the nut and the threaded shaft of the ball screw mechanism, respectively, and meshed with the internal gears independently is used. In any case, by the combination of the external gears and the internal gears, the speed of the rotation of the electric motor can be decreased efficiently without excessive installation space.
In the present invention, the motion converting mechanism may comprise one rotary member and one non-rotary member as constructural elements, and the differential speed reduction mechanism may be provided with an eccentric shaft provided on the rotor of the electric motor, and a differential mechanism for transmitting the reduced rotation of the rotor to the rotary member in accordance with rotation of the eccentric shaft.
In this case, the motion converting mechanism may comprise a ball-ramp mechanism in which balls are interposed between the rotary disc and the fixed disc, and the differential mechanism may comprise an eccentric plate rotatably fitted onto the eccentric shaft provided on the rotor, an oldham""s mechanism for giving an orbital movement to the eccentric plate in accordance with rotation of the rotor, and a speed reduction device for rotating the rotary disc of the ball-ramp mechanism with a given or fixed rotational ratio with respect to the rotor in response to the orbital movement.
The electric disc brake according to the present invention having the ball-ramp mechanism may be combined with an improved brake pad wear following mechanism. That is to say, an electric disc brake based on one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a rotor of the electric disc brake is connected to a first disc of a ball-ramp mechanism, a piston is threaded in a second disc via a threaded portion, a spring device is connected between the first and second discs, the piston is advanced or retracted by integrally rotating the first and second discs by a spring force of the spring device, and the piston is retracted or advanced by effecting relative rotation between the first and second discs in opposition to the spring force of the spring device.
With this arrangement, when the disc rotor is not urged by the brake pad, since a great load does not act on the threaded portion to reduce resistance of the threaded portion, upon the rotation of the rotor of the electric motor, the first and second discs are integrally rotated together via the spring force of the spring device, with the result that the piston is shifted by the threaded portion. On the other hand, when the disc rotor is urged by the brake pad, since a great load acts on the threaded portion to increase resistance of the threaded portion, upon the rotation of the rotor of the electric motor, the first and second discs are rotated relative to each other in opposition to the spring force of the spring device, with the result that the piston is driven by the ball-ramp mechanism.


A circuit arrangement for igniting and operating a discharge lamp (1) comprising inductive means, which include a primary winding (PRIM) which passes a high-frequency current during ignition and during lamp operation, and a secondary winding (SEC) which is magnetically coupled to the primary winding and electrically coupled to an impedance M (C1, C3) for limiting the current passed by the secondary winding. The current through the secondary winding generates a DC voltage via rectifying means, by which current a part of the circuit arrangement is supplied. The circuit arrangement is also provided with apparatus X (R, S1) for increasing the impedance value of the impedance M after ignition of the discharge lamp. The amplitude of the DC voltage is thereby at a desired level both before and after ignition of the discharge lamp, while no major power dissipation takes place during stationary lamp operation.

This invention relates to a circuit arrangement for igniting and operating a discharge lamp, comprising
input terminals for connection to the poles of a supply voltage source, PA1 means I coupled to the input terminals for generating a current through the discharge lamp from a supply voltage delivered by the supply voltage source, which means are provided with
a control circuit for controlling the operational state of the circuit arrangement, PA2 inductive means comprising a primary winding which carries a high-frequency current during ignition and during lamp operation, and a secondary winding which is magnetically coupled to the primary winding and is electrically coupled to an impedance M for limiting the current carried by the secondary winding, and to an input of the control circuit via rectifying means.
Such a circuit arrangement is known. The means I may comprise, for example, a preconditioner such as an up-converter for generating a DC voltage from the supply voltage. Such a preconditioner is provided with a high-frequency operated switching element and with an inductive element across which a high-frequency AC voltage is present during operation of the means I. It is also possible for the means I to comprise a DC-AC converter for generating a high-frequency lamp current from a DC voltage. This DC-AC converter often uses one or several switching elements which are operated at a high frequency and an inductive element across which a high-frequency voltage is present during operation. The control circuit of the known circuit arrangement comprises means for generating control signals for rendering the switching elements of the preconditioner and/or the DC-AC converter conducting and non-conducting and controlling the operational state of the circuit arrangement in this manner. The control circuit is supplied with a DC voltage of comparatively low amplitude when the circuit arrangement is in operation. This DC voltage may be generated with the aid of the inductive element present in the preconditioner or of the inductive element present in the DC-AC converter. This inductive element then forms the inductive means mentioned in the opening paragraph and comprises a secondary winding. A high-frequency voltage is present across the primary winding during operation of the circuit arrangement. The magnetic coupling causes a high-frequency voltage to be present also across the secondary winding. The DC voltage is generated by means of the high-frequency voltage present across the secondary winding and the rectifying means and is applied to the input of the control circuit. If the inductive means form a part of the DC-AC converter, however, the amplitude of the voltage across the primary winding will often be considerably lower during preheating of the electrodes of the lamp than during stationary lamp operation.
As a result of this, the amplitude of the voltage across the secondary winding during preheating of the discharge lamp is also much lower than during stationary lamp operation. If a sufficient amount of power is to be supplied to the input of the control circuit also during preheating, it is necessary to choose the impedance value of the means M to be comparatively low. This has the result, however, that the current through the secondary winding is comparatively strong during stationary lamp operation as a result of the comparatively high voltage across the secondary winding, which means that the voltage at the input of the control circuit reaches too high a value. This latter effect may be counteracted through the use of a voltage limiter such as a zener diode. The use of such a voltage limiter does have the result that the voltage at the input of the control circuit is no longer too high, but the voltage limiter passes current continuously and accordingly dissipates power continuously, which means that the circuit arrangement functions comparatively inefficiently.

Igniting circuit operated by varying the impedance value of the controller


A swallow challenge medium (10) is thixotropic for easy swallowing and to provide enough viscosity for effective challenge to peristalsis (20) and has high ionic density for effective impedance measurements by contact with electrodes (41–48) positioned in a person's esophagus (E) or oropharynx during swallow testing. The medium (10) also has a high surface tension so as not to adhere to or coat the electrodes (41–48) or probe (12) surfaces. These physical characteristics are stabilized and consistent enough to provide standard for esophageal and/or oropharyngeal function testing and diagnostics.

Accurate measurements of physiological parameters of the esophagus under realistic swallowing conditions are valuable in diagnosing esophageal diseases such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), abnormal functioning of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and peristaltic muscular contractions and movements in the esophagus, and the like. When a person with a healthy esophagus swallows, circular muscles in the esophagus contract. The contractions begin at the upper end of the esophagus and propagate downwardly toward the lower esophageal sphincter ("LES"). These muscular contractions are commonly called peristaltic movements, contractions, or waves, or simply as "peristalsis". The function of the peristaltic muscle contractions, i.e., to propel food and drinks through the esophagus to the stomach, is sometimes called the motility function, but is also often used to refer to peristalsis. Therefore, the terms "motility" or "motility function" and "peristalsis" are sometimes used interchangeably.
The LES is normally closed, but it opens momentarily, when a peristaltic contraction approaches it, to admit the bolus of food or drink into the stomach. As a peristaltic contraction passes through each point along the esophagus, the esophageal pressure at that point rises to a maximum and then falls back to a base pressure at the relaxed state. This peristaltic propagation of the esophageal contraction tends to propel any swallowed volume of mass, which is called a "bolus", ahead of the point of peak pressure and down the esophagus toward the stomach. The motility function of the esophagus, i.e., the esophagus' ability to move a mass, is dependent on several factors, including the peristaltic pressure profile and the characteristics of the esophageal muscles.
Esophageal pressure measurement, or manometry, as well as electrical impedance have been used to assess motility function of the esophagus and bolus transit dynamics in the esophagus. A typical esophageal manometer includes an elongated catheter or probe with pressure sensors located along its length. The catheter or probe is designed to be inserted into the esophagus, typically reaching the LES and extending into the stomach, of a patient, with the pressure sensors positioned at the LES and at a plurality of other specific points along the length of the esophagus at predetermined distances above the LES. During a typical test, the patient swallows a specific amount of water with the manometer placed in the esophagus. The esophageal pressure at the pressure sensors can be measured and used as an indication of the magnitude and sequence of the peristaltic contractions. In addition, because the positions of the sensors are known, the velocity of the peristaltic motion can also be ascertained from the location of the peak pressure as a function of time. The test can be repeated a number of times to obtain a set of pressure and velocity values, a statistical analysis of which may be used for diagnostic purposes. For example, according to one protocol, ten 5-ml water swallows are to be performed at approximately 30-second intervals. The patient's functional response is determined as a percentage of the swallows. For example, a result of such test swallows may show that 80% of the swallows were followed by a contraction pressure of 30 mmHg or greater with an onset velocity of about 8 cm/sec, and, therefore, showed normal peristalsis; the remaining 20% of the swallows resulted in a contraction pressure of less than 30 mmHg and, therefore, are deemed to be ineffective peristalsis.
While the conventional manometry (pressure measurements) is useful for assessing certain aspects of the physiology of the esophagus, i.e., peristaltic muscular activity in the esophagus and LES are detectable as pressure changes, the technique has its limitations in at least two respects. Esophageal manometry does not measure or predict bolus transit, which is the actual movement of a mass of swallowed material through the esophagus. Esophageal peristalsis generally is triggered by a swallowing action and proceeds whether or not any substance is actually swallowed, and the peristaltic muscular contractions may proceed regardless of whether the bolus is actually moving through the esophagus. Further, some swallowed material, such as water, will flow by gravity through the esophagus, even if there are no peristaltic muscular contractions or if they are irregular or erratic. Thus, the mere manometric detection of propagating peristaltic muscular contractions, even if they are properly timed and of normal amplitude (strength), does not necessarily mean that any bolus is being propelled by the peristalsis. Thus, incomplete bolus transit may not be detected by manometry alone. Other substances could be swallowed, such as food, but resulting data, such as impedance, would vary, depending on the characteristics of the food or other substances.
Electrical impedance at a plurality of points in the esophagus can be used to detect and monitor movement of a bolus through the esophagus. Essentially, a bolus of water or food will have different electrical impedance than the non-filled esophagus, so a change in impedance in the esophagus indicates presence of a bolus. Therefore, an elongated probe positioned in the esophagus with a plurality of impedance and/or acidity sensors dispersed along its length can be used to detect and monitor the bolus transit, i.e., the movement of a bolus through the esophagus. Therefore, by combining manometry (pressure measurements) with simultaneous impedance measurements, both peristalsis and bolus transit can be quantified, and these measurements, if accurate and dependable, can be combined to determine whether the bolus movement and the peristaltic contractions are in proper synchronization or if there is an abnormal or dysfunctional relationship between them.
Unfortunately, prior to this invention, it was very difficult, if not impossible, to get consistent, accurate, reliable, and repeatable impedance measurements, even if the impedance probes, sensors, and measuring equipment, itself, was well-designed and in good working condition. The problem was that the swallow media available for such tests were inadequate. For example, water as a medium for swallow tests provides very little resistance to peristaltic propulsion and is often inadequate to cause esophageal abnormalities to manifest themselves during the test. Water also has inconsistent ionic content, varying from one source to another or from one municipal water system to another, which causes variations in impedance measurements and is often insufficient to even make meaningful impedance measurements. Saline solution has more ionic content, but it provides insufficient resistance to peristaltic propulsion to cause esophageal abnormalities to be detected. Water and saline solution also do not remain in a distinct, well-defined bolus mass and, instead, run and spread by gravity through the length of the esophagus, bridging many or all of the impedance sensor electrodes so that sensing distinct bolus transit dynamics in relation to manometric detection of peristalsis is difficult, if not impossible. Other substances, such as yogurt, mash potatoes, or other foods could be swallowed, but resulting data, such as impedance, would vary, depending on the physical characteristics of the foods, such as ionic content, viscosity, surface tension, and the like. Also, foods tend to coat or stick to the probe and impedance sensor electrodes on the probe, even after the bolus has passed, which interferes with subsequent impedance measurements and makes it difficult and often impossible to detect bolus transit in subsequent swallows. These and other deficiencies contribute to erratic, inconsistent, unreliable, and unrepeatable test results.
A state-of-the-art technique for observing and assessing actual bolus transit includes a barium esophagram diagnostic test, in which a patient in front of an X-ray camera performs swallows of a contrast medium that shows distinctly in an X-ray image. This diagnostic method, however, has a number of drawbacks as well, including the high cost of equipment and exposure of patients to ionizing radiation, and it is not conducive to ambulatory testing. In addition, manometric data synchronized with bolus transit are not available from barium esophagram tests. Such synchronized data is often important in assessing the complex physiology of bolus transit dynamics.

Standardized swallow challenge medium and method of use for esophageal function testing


A mirror assembly including a mirror, a base and a flexible neck connecting the mirror and the base such that the neck can be manually manipulated to adjust the position of the base and the mirror relative to each other. The mirror assembly further includes a light source located on or adjacent to the mirror, and a power-source receiving receptacle located in the base, wherein the power-source receptacle cavity is electrically coupled to the light source.

Vanity mirrors, cosmetic mirrors and the like are widely used when applying makeup, grooming hair, and for other personal uses and the like. Many existing mirror assemblies are set in a single fixed configuration, or movable into limited configurations, which restricts the utility of such mirrors. In addition, many existing mirror assemblies do not include an integral light, which further limits the utility of the mirrors.
In addition, many existing mirror assemblies are unable to be folded to a compact configuration for storage, for example for use in suitcases, purses and the like. Further, many existing systems for assembling a mirror require that at least some portion of the mirror surface be used as a clamping surface, thereby reducing the effective viewing area of the mirror.
Accordingly, there is a need for a mirror assembly which can be formed into various configurations, which has an integral light, which can be moved into a compact arrangement, and which has an improved arrangement for assembling the mirror.


A magnetic field sensor array includes a plurality of sensor segments, each including a plurality of magnetic field sensors. A magnetizing current conductor is situated so as to run in the area of the magnetic field sensors in such a way that elements of the magnetic field sensors may be magnetized. A plurality of parallel-connected half-bridges, each including a high switch pJ and a low switch nJ, each include a center tap connection situated between the switches. The magnetizing current conductor is connected to each center tap connection, by means of which the magnetizing current conductor is divided into separately activatable magnetizing segments. Elements of a sensor segment are magnetized in that two switches nJ and pJ+1 having different electrical potentials, or alternatively pJ and nJ+1, of two directly adjacent half-bridges are closed simultaneously. At least one further switch nX<J or pY>J+1 or alternatively pX<J or nY>J+1 is closed.

Certain conventional magnetic field sensors are based on magnetoresistive effects. Magnetic field sensors of this type include two magnetized layers situated one above the other and separated from each other by a separating layer. A center magnetization direction of a pinned layer is fixed and invariable in an external magnetic field, while a center magnetization direction of a free layer is dependent on the external magnetic field. By applying an electrical voltage to the two magnetized layers, an electrical current may flow, which is dependent on an angle enclosed by the magnetization directions of the layers.
If an external magnetic field exceeds a critical field strength, the magnetization of the free layer may be impaired. A misorientation of this type may result in the fact that a magnetic field sensor has an elevated noise, which may be the case, in particular, for greater magnetic field strengths. Moreover, an undesirable change of the zero field error (offset) may be present. A misorientation may be reversed, for example, in that a magnetizing current conductor is situated in the area of the layers to be magnetized. Methods of this type are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,291,687 B2, 9,791,523 B2 and 9,766,301 B2.
A plurality of magnetic field sensors is typically simultaneously subjected to a process of this type. A magnetizing device including a plurality of switches is used to magnetize groups of layers of magnetic field sensors. Upon the switching of the switches, an undesirable current flow may take place in the magnetizing current conductor, which flows in the opposite direction from a desired magnetizing current, due to parasitic capacitances. This may result in layers to be magnetized being at least partially misoriented.

Method and system for magnetizing elements of a magnetic field sensor array


A cast veneer wall panel includes a backing panel having a rear face and a front face. The front face includes a boundary wall and a continuous abutment extending around a perimeter of a casting field. The cast veneer wall panel further includes a facing panel formed from a cast material that is received and held within the casting field. The facing panel includes at least one design element.

Cast veneer wall panels have been developed as a quick and efficient way to provide a masonry appearance for a building while simplifying construction and lowering construction costs. Such panels typically include a front plate or panel carrying a series of design or masonry elements. These design elements simulate brick, stone, tile and other masonry building components or materials commonly used in the construction of buildings. Examples of cast veneer wall panels are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,187 to Arcari and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/647,679, entitled "Fiber Reinforced Concrete Stone Panel System" owned by the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
Cast veneer wall panels are typically made from reinforced construction materials such as fiberglass reinforced concrete. While cast veneer wall panels made from such reinforced materials are more resistant to damage from handling during packaging, shipping and installation, further improvements in durability to reduce loss due to breakage are still desired. The present invention relates to a cast veneer wall panel of enhanced durability providing significantly improved handling characteristics due to light weight construction and ability to fasten by nailing. The cast veneer wall panel is also easier and quicker to orient, seat and install.

Panelized veneer with backer-to-backer locators


An improved cleat structure for mounting a cleat onto a shoe wherein the cleat structure is comprised of a mounting base having integral connector and head portions wherein the connector portion is attached to the sole of the shoe and a ground-contact member is removably engaged with the head portion of the mounting base.

Spikes have been used in the sport of golf for quite some time. The conventional spike used on the bottom of a golfer's shoe insured a stable base during the golfer's swing by preventing the feet from slipping. The primary design used for years was a single spike in the center of a pad, screwed into the bottom of a golf style shoe. Generally each shoe contained in excess of 10 spikes. The single pointed spikes protruded from the shoe approximately 1/4".
The results of the traditional style spike was damage to the golf course greens. The spikes punctured the crown of the grass plants as the golfer walked across the greens. Each spike destroying at least one grass plant for each step the golfer would take on the greens.
When playing a particular golf hole, the average golfer takes approximately 40 steps on the green. Given that there are 10 spikes on each shoe and each spike destroys at least one grass plant per step, the number of grass plants destroyed on a given green is 800 (2.times.10.times.40). If you multiply this number by 18--the number of greens played in a single round of golf--it becomes clear that 14,400 grass plants are destroyed by a golfer during each round of golf. Assuming that 340 golfers play golf in a single day, nearly 5 million blades of grass are destroyed daily with the use of traditional, single golf spikes.
Because of the destruction of the playing surface, a new spike concept described as "Spikeless" gained acceptance in the sport of golf throughout the 1990's. These newly accepted spike designs generally do not have a center spike causing damage to the crown of the grass plants on the greens of a golf course. Instead the "Spikeless Design" has a gripping pattern which is typically symmetrical to the center of the spike. The new designs attach in the same way as the traditional golf spike by threading to the bottom of the shoe. This evolution in design has provided protection to the crown of the grass plant resulting in minor destruction to the golf greens thereby greatly enhancing the playing surface.
The new "Spikeless" designs do not grip the surface of the ground in the same manner as the traditional single spike design. Also, the spikeless design has a tendency to get plugged up. The newly accepted spikeless designs are fashioned to be symmetrical in order to provide an even resistance from any and all angles of applied force as the spikes are randomly threaded into the bottom of the golf shoe. This is the bases for improving the design further to a directional force spikeless concept.
There are several parts of a golf swing. One of the most important parts involves the transfer of weight within the swing itself. During the transfer of weight, if the golfer does not have sure footing he or she could slip resulting in an errant shot.
The transfers of weight that occur during a golf swing are made in a specific direction requiring a greater holding requirement by a golfer's shoe in a single directional plane verses a multidirectional plane. Therefore if the newly accepted "Spikeless" design could be enhanced to provide an non-damaging design with better holding forces and no increase in cost to the consumer it would be a great improvement to the sport of golf.


A mixed polymer liquid is prepared by mixing a polycarbosilane-dissolved organic solvent with poly(methylsilane) and moderated to viscosity of 5–20 Pa·s by heat-treatment to promote partial cross-linking reaction. The mixed-polymer is then melt-spun to fiber at 250–350° C. The fiber is cured by treatment at 100–200° C. in an oxidizing atmosphere, and baked at 1000° C. or higher. Due to thermosetting action of poly(methylsilane), the mixed polymer liquid is continuously melt-spun without breakage, and SiC fiber produced in this way is useful for reinforcement of SiC composite excellent in toughness, strength and heat-resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing SiC fiber for reinforcement of SiC composite useful as structural members or parts of a power generating plants, aircraft, spacecraft machine, nuclear reactors, nuclear fusion reactors or the like driven under extremely severe conditions with heavy thermal duty.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various ceramics such as SiC and Si3N4 good of heat-resistance, corrosion-resistance and mechanical strength have been developed so far for structural members or parts of aircraft, spacecraft, nuclear reactors or the like driven under extremely severe conditions. Such ceramics are also used as parts of heat exchangers or mechanical seals driven with heavy duty.
Especially, SiC is a suitable material in various industrial fields from aerospace to nuclear power generation, due to its excellent resistance to heat, abrasion and corrosion as well as chemical stability. SiC is brittle itself, despite of good high-temperature property with a sublimation temperature higher than 2600° C. In order to overcome poor toughness, there are reports on reinforcement of SiC composite with SiC fibers, and various processes such as hot-press and liquid-phase sintering have been proposed for manufacturing SiC fiber-reinforced SiC-matrix composite.
SiC fiber for reinforcement of SiC composite has been prepared from polycarbosilane by a melt-spinning process capable of producing flexible fiber with ease compared with CVD process. The melt-spinning process relies on spinnability and formability of polycarbosilane as a pyrolyzed product of polysilane to a great extent, and enables formation of uniform fine structure free from any fluctuations originated in deviation of a Si/C ratio by baking. Uniformity of the fine structure means that there are no inhibitors against crystal growth and crack propagation. In the uniform structure derived from polycarbosilane, further improvement on physical property, especially heat-resistance of the fiber itself, however, cannot be expected any more.
Spinnability and high-temperature stability of polycarbosilane can be controlled by addition of a metal alkoxide or the like as a spinning aid. A representative metal alkoxide is poly-titano-carbosilane. However, generation of fine structure is derived from precipitation of a secondary phase at a high temperature, so that the fine structure substantially varies in response to a heating temperature and an atmosphere for heat-treatment in addition to presence of a metal alkoxide.
Coarsening of fine structure means fluidization of various grain boundaries in SiC fiber, and causes decrease of heat-resistance, resulting in poor quality reliability of SiC composite. Furthermore, inclusion of foreign elements other than C and Si from a spinning aid accelerates generation of a secondary phase at grain boundaries and put harmful influences on properties of SiC fiber.

Process for producing reinforcing SiC fiber for SiC composite material

Japan Science and Technology Corporation


A climate control system for an electric vehicle includes a programmed microcomputer for controlling the pre-conditioning of the vehicle prior to usage as well as heating, ventilating and air conditioning of the vehicle under normal operating conditions. The microcomputer responds to a plurality of vehicle operator inputs and sensor inputs and provides outputs to control the speed of the compressor, condenser fan and blower fan, and the position of a temperature blend door and a Fresh Air/Recirculating Air door to optimize the use of electrical energy.

Supporting a conventional heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in an electric vehicle poses problems because power consumed in operating the HVAC system may significantly affect the range and performance of the vehicle. Systems have been proposed which attempt to solve these problems through use a heat pump cycle for vehicle heating and/or employing a compressor driven by a variable speed motor for cooling, all for the purpose of reducing power consumption. It has also been proposed to use power from commercial electrical supply outlets to provide a pre-cooling feature prior to departing for highway usage of the vehicle. While such systems reduce power consumption by the HVAC system, further improvement in energy management are needed in order to insure acceptance of the electric powered vehicle by the public.

Climate control system for electric vehicle


The invention relates to a fastening element comprising a clip part (4), which has a top plate (10), a base plate (3) and a joining section (9). A cutout (11) is made in the top plate (10), and a cutout (5) is made in the base plate (3), these cutouts facing one another. The fastening element also comprises an elongated shaft part (1), which is formed on the base plate (3), has a smooth-wall shaft cutout (2) that leads into the cutout (5) in the base plate and which provided for receiving a connection part. This connection part is provided with an external thread having a nominal diameter and can be guided through the cutout (11) in the top plate and through the cutout (5) in the base plate (3). The cutout (11) in the top plate has, at least in sections, a diameter that is less than the nominal diameter of the external thread but greater than the inside diameter of the shaft cutout (2). This prevents the component from tipping by establishing a pre-fixing in the area of the cutout (11) in the top plate before the external thread engages with the shaft part (1).

Such a device is known from EP 1 336 763 A2. The previously known device for joining a fastening part to a component has a connection part that is provided with an external thread with a nominal diameter and a fastening element that is equipped with a clip part that has a top plate, a base plate facing the top plate and a joining section that joins the top plate to the base plate at a distance. A cutout is made in the top plate and a cutout is made in the base plate, these cutouts facing one another. In addition, the clip part is designed with an elongated shaft part which is formed on the base plate and which has a smooth-wall shaft cutout that leads into the cutout in the base plate. The outside diameter of the connection part is matched to the inside diameter of the shaft cutout in such a way that the external thread engages with the smooth-wall inside of the shaft cutout of the shaft part by cutting a thread, whereby the cutout in the top plate has a diameter that is greater than the inside diameter of the shaft cutout. As a result, any engagement of the connection part with the top plate is prevented in order to ensure free movement of the top plate, which is curved round in the direction of the base plate.
Known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,414 is a fastening element in which, formed in a region of a base plate facing a joining section, is a continuous transverse channel which is open in the direction of the top plate and which forms a stop step.
Known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,772 is a fastening element in which the connection part having a screw-in section that has an external thread passes through the cutout in the top plate and the cutout in the base plate with a certain play, and can be screwed into the shaft cutout to fasten the fastening element to a component which is arranged between the top plate and the base plate and which has a through-cutout. The dimensions of the shaft cutout and the nominal diameter of the external thread of the connection part are matched to one another in such a way that with sufficient retention force, it can be screwed in using torque that is set in accordance with the installation situation.


The invention relates to a novel process for using the yeast ADH II promoter system for the production of heterologous proteins in high yields, for example for preparing hirudins, miniproinsulins, leptins or derivatives thereof.

The polypeptide hirudin, which was originally isolated from the leech Hirudo medicinalis, is a highly specific thrombin inhibitor possessing a broad therapeutic potential (F. Markwardt, Biomed. Biochim. Acta 44 (1985) 1007-1013). However, it is only possible to prepare the quantities which are required by the recombinant route using transformed microorganisms. In this context, it has been found that the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is suitable as a host organism for producing hirudin which is correctly folded and fully active (EP A1 168 342, EP A1 200 655).
The gene for the alcohol dehydrogenase isoenzyme II (ADH II) is strictly regulated in yeast cells. The product of the ADH II gene is not found when fermentable carbon sources, such as glucose, are added to the fermentation medium. ADH II catalyzes the dehydration of ethanol (C.sub.2 H.sub.5 OH) to acetaldehyde (CH.sub.3 COH). However, conditions for inducing the ADH II promoter can be achieved in simple aerobic batch processes, in shaking flasks or in fermenters, which are started, for example, using a glucose concentration of 4%. When growth takes place on glucose, the so-called "Crabtree" effect results in ethanol being formed initially with the aid of the enzyme ADH I, with the ethanol in turn being used as an additional carbon source once the glucose has been completely consumed. After the glucose has been broken down, the ethanol-degrading enzyme ADH II is induced and the expression of the ADH II gene product begins. If the expression of a gene encoding a heterologous protein is under control of the ADH II promoter, expression of the heterologous protein will begin once the glucose has been metabolized.
As a rule, such batch fermentations do not provide the high yield which is sought for industrial applications. In general, industrial applications require a high yield in a short period of time. What is wanted is the separation of the fermentation into a growth phase and a production phase, as is achieved in classical antibiotic fermentations, for example, by means of a limited fed-batch procedure (also known in the art as feed-batch), in which, after a certain cell density has been established, a carbon source is then fed in a growth-limiting manner in order to form the product (e.g. the secondary metabolite penicillin) at high yield under optimal physiological conditions See Hersbach et al.: The Penicillins: Properties, Biosynthesis and Fermentation, in: Biotechnology of Industrial Antibiotics, pp. 45-140, Ed. E. J. Vandamme, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1984.
Because of the way it is regulated, the ADH II promoter system has been used for the preparation of recombinant proteins in the bakers yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. See Price et al.: Methods of Enzymology, Vol. 185, 308-318, 1990, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The fermentation system used by Price depends on the growth of the yeast cells and on the natural elimination of glucose as a carbon source. In the absence of glucose, product formation is switched on and continues until the end of the fermentation. However, the yield of product appears to be less than was hoped.
T.o slashed.ttrup et al. (Biotechnol. Bioeng., 35, 339-348, 1990) describe a modified fermentation procedure for the intracellular production of a human insulin fusion protein, which procedure involves feeding with glucose followed by feeding with ethanol in order to ensure optimal induction of the system. This group used a hybrid promoter, which consisted of the ADH II promoter ligated to the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase promoter. These workers succeeded in almost doubling the volume-related product yield (grams protein/liter), as compared with a batch process, by means of continually feeding glucose at a constant rate over the entire fermentation period. A further doubling was finally achieved by means of replacing the glucose feed, from a particular time point onward, with an ethanol feed. It was concluded from this result that even when there is no glucose, or very low glucose concentrations of less than 20 mg/l, in the culture broth, the hybrid promoter is still partially repressed by glucose or a metabolite of glycolysis. Complete induction was only achieved by adding ethanol.
Thus, it would be useful to have a high-yield process for producing heterologous protein in yeast using the ADH II promoter system. As used herein an "ADH II promoter system" means that the expression of a heterologous gene is under the control of the ADH II promoter.

Process for using the yeast ADH II promoter system for the production of heterologous proteins in high yields


A method and apparatus in which a device capable of near-field communication receives a service from an external network using a communication function of a device capable of accessing the external network. A personal network is formed with devices having different users, and subscriber information for each user is safely acquired and authenticated, making it possible to provide a service received from the external network to the devices included in the personal network more conveniently.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device capable of near-field communication, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus in which a device capable of near-field communication receives a service from an external network using a communication function of a device capable of accessing the external network.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the growing use of Consumer Electronics (CE) devices capable of near-field communication, such as MP3 players, Portable Multimedia Players (PMPs), game consoles and notebook computers, users are seeking convenient ways to download content.
Generally, a user searches for content playable in a CE device and then downloads the content over the Internet using a Personal Computer (PC). Subsequently, to download and play the content, the CE has to connect to the PC via a dedicated cable. At present, near-field communication such as Bluetooth® can be used in place of a dedicated cable and enables sharing of content among devices.
Still, however, there is a limited number of ways for a CE device to directly access the external network. For example, some CE devices may access the Internet using Wireless-Fidelity (WiFi) in the spots where Access Points (APs) are installed, but they cannot access the Internet in the spots with no AP installed. To reduce such inconveniences, there is a need for a method in which devices capable of near-field communication but incapable of directly accessing the external network can access the external network through a gateway, allowing users to utilize desired services, such as content downloading. To meet the needs, Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) in charge of standardization of applications has proposed Converged Personal Network Service (CPNS).
CPNS refers to a service in which one personal network is formed, which is a combination of a device serving as a gateway in charge of communication with an external network and a device for actually playing service and content with access to a service/content provider existing in the external network through the device serving as a gateway, thereby allowing a user to utilize the service or content. In CPNS, a device serving as a gateway is called a Personal Network Gateway (PN gateway), and a device being connected to the PN gateway by near-field communication and accessing the external network via the PN gateway is called a Personal Network Entity (PNE). In addition, a Personal Network server, which serves to provide content and service of the external network to a device in the personal network upon request of the PN gateway, is called a CPNS server. Generally, the PN gateway may include a mobile phone or a PC, and the PNE may include a PMP and an MP3 player.
In CPNS, a PNE sends a request message for a desired service to a PN gateway using near-field communication. The PN gateway relays the service request message to a CPNS server in a provider network. The CPNS server identifies what service the PNE desires to access, and then sends a service request message to a service/content provider in charge of the service. Upon receiving the service request message, the service/content provider provides the service or content to the PNE via the PN gateway.
Generally, since users of a PN gateway and a PNE constituting a personal network are the same, the personal network can be formed without considering charging for use of CPNS service or content. PNEs, i.e., CE devices such as an MP3 player and a PMP, do not have PNE subscriber information, but a PN gateway such as a mobile phone has subscriber information of a CPNS user, so a CPNS server can charge for use of CPNS, using this information. Therefore, after simply checking whether the PNE is its registered device, the PN gateway may create a personal network and provide CPNS.
However, billing-related problems may occur, when one personal network is formed using PNEs and one PN gateway, users of which are different. For example, such problems may occur when one personal network is formed using a game console owned by a user A and a game console and a mobile phone owned by a user B, and the users A and B participate in the same game being provided from the CPNS server via the mobile phone of the user B. In this case, even though both the users A and B are receiving CPNS, only the user B of the mobile phone serving as a PN gateway is charged, for the following reasons. Since a game console, or a PNE, of the user A does not have subscriber information about the user A, the CPNS server cannot identify the user A, thus charging the user B for use of CPNS. Accordingly, the user B of the mobile phone, or a PN gateway, uniquely having subscriber information in the personal network may be charged even for use of CPNS content by the user A.
If devices having different users are prohibited to form one personal network for these reasons, the users may experience considerable inconvenience in accessing resources of the external network via the personal network. In addition, if different personal networks are formed for different users, use of network resources and resources of PN gateways may increase.

Method and apparatus for providing service using personal network


A method for operating an MR system with a gradient power amplifier having at least one output stage that is connectable to a gradient coil, and having four switching elements connected to one another as an H-bridge includes, to operate the gradient coil, in alternation: switching the switching elements attached to a common first pole of a voltage supply to conductive and switching the switching elements attached to a common second pole of a voltage supply to blocking by inverting power drivers; and switching the switching elements attached to a common first pole of a voltage supply to blocking and switching the switching elements attached to a common second pole of a voltage supply to conductive by inverting power drivers. The switching elements attached to the first pole are switched by non-inverting power drivers, and the switching elements attached to the second pole are switched by inverting power drivers.

The present embodiments relate to operating a magnetic resonance (MR) system with a gradient power amplifier. The present embodiments may, for example, be used on magnetic resonance imaging systems with a high gradient current.
Humans are sensitive to rapid changes in a magnetic flux dB/dt acting on them. A "sufficiently long-lasting" strong change in the magnetic flux may trigger nerve stimulation and/or stimulation of the myocardial tissue, where, according to IEC 60601-2-33, the temporal evaluation (e.g., "sufficiently long") of the rapid magnetic field change with regard to nerve stimulation is in the range of 0.12 ms to 0.8 ms and with regard to cardiac stimulation is in the range of 1 ms to 8 ms (e.g., usually approximately 3 ms are assumed).
Previous gradient systems of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging systems may trigger nerve stimulation; newer MR systems with a stronger gradient system may also trigger cardiac stimulation. Nerve stimulation primarily causes a sensation of pain, while cardiac stimulation may influence the heartbeat and is therefore to be considered to be life-threatening.
One method for calculating stimulation is known from DE 199 13 547 C2. This may be carried out by a program and a computer, using a suitably programmed processor or digital signal processor (DSP), or using an analog or digital hardware circuit. If the result of the calculation involves the crossing of a predetermined threshold value, a signal is triggered to provide that the gradient current flowing through a gradient coil is reduced sufficiently slowly for the gradient current to be non-stimulating. However, it is precisely this non-stimulating reduction of the gradient current that requires certain switching elements in an output stage of a gradient power amplifier (GPA) of the gradient system to be switched on while others are to be switched off. This process is referred to as "soft stop" and is, for example, disclosed in DE 198 57 525 A1. In contrast, simply switching off all the output stage switching elements (e.g., "hard stop") results in current reduction with the greatest possible edge steepness, but such a case should be avoided in order to avoid cardiac stimulation.
In MR systems with a gradient strength that may only trigger stimulation of the nerves, stimulation monitoring according to DE 199 13 547 C2 that causes the gradient current to be reduced slowly by the gradient power amplifier may be provided. No special additional safeguards are, however, provided since such MR systems work very reliably and a single instance of nerve stimulation in the case of a one-off hard stop is only perceived as a short pinprick. Multiple crossings of the nerve stimulation threshold in the short course of an MR sequence may be reliably prevented by existing stimulation monitoring.
Some MR systems that reach the cardiac threshold also have a monitoring system in gradient power amplifiers of the MR system to prevent the cardiac threshold from being crossed. In many cases, this monitoring system is redundant since a plurality of gradient power amplifiers are operated together and, using an additional measure, when one gradient power amplifier is shut down, the other gradient power amplifiers are shut down by soft stop.
The most common cause of a hard stop is a power failure. Therefore, each gradient power amplifier may contain a system for monitoring the mains voltage that is to react quickly enough for the power supply voltages for the actuation electronics to be available for a sufficient period of time to enable a slow current reduction (e.g., soft stop) initiated by this monitoring system to be completed. There are no further safeguards against other causes of a hard stop (e.g., a power supply failure, a failure of the clock-pulse supply for modulator FPGAs, malfunction of the modulator, etc.). Therefore, it is necessary for a defibrillator and a physician to be quickly available at such research facilities.

MR system with improved protection against cardiac stimulation


A system and method for obtaining photographic products and/or services and for the sharing of digital images without the need of a computer. In particular a cable set top box and cable communication network is used for communication with third parties, including image service providers.

Digital cameras, film cameras, printers, and other imaging devices can be purchased in stores or over the Internet from the Eastman Kodak Company at kodak.com or other web sites. The web site may provide text, pictures, and even animated graphics describing and comparing various product models. However, the same standard product, defined by the stock keeping unit (SKU), is shipped to everyone who decides to buy that particular product.
Some products (such as golf shirts) that can be ordered over the Internet, or via phone or the U.S. mail service, can be ordered in a particular color with a personalized monogram or name. In this case, the letters of the monogram/name are sent to the location where the shirt is personalized, where the letters are manually loaded into a sewing machine that physically stitches the monogram into the shirt.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,411 discloses an arrangement for ordering merchandise over the Internet. Computers can also be ordered over the Internet. See, for example, the Dell computer Internet site at www.dell.com. Using this site, different configurations of a Dell computer can be purchased. The customer can buy a "standard" configuration of a particular model computer, or can instead select (using pull-down menus) various options. A "learn more" link next to each option enables the user to understand the differences between these options in order to select the most appropriate option. Prior art patents related to customizing computer systems include U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,571, U.S. Pat. No. 5,995,757 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,543, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,743. These patents relate to ordering selected equipment over the Internet, but the equipment that is produced is defined entirely by the user selections from pre-existing menus. The user does not upload personal data or digital images that are used to personalize the computers or other merchandise.
A digital camera system, described in commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/137,078 (Docket 79,556), filed Jun. 2, 1999 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Providing a User Customizable Digital Camera", the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, includes the ability to download, from the Internet, special software components that can be used to "upgrade" a camera to provide personalized capabilities, or to personalize a camera in a retail store as the camera is sold.
The ability to customize a camera after purchase using a memory card (for example, by providing a template background into which an image is placed) is described in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,264 to Sarbadhikari et al., the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
The ability to provide camera defect data from a camera manufacturing site over a network to an interactive control node which corrects images provided by a digital camera is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,385, to Maurinus et al.
Commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,216 to Arnold, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, describes a single use camera having pre-exposed latent images of symbols that are combined with captured images.
On a web page found at http://www.bestcameras.com/ a user can order single-use cameras in a variety of cover designs. The user can call a phone number posted at the web site and have a template mailed to the user in Adobe Illustrator format. The user can modify the design in the template and mail back the file, where it can be printed and attached to the outside case of a single use camera. The user can also order single use cameras on-line. The user can choose between several printed paper cover style options, and can personalize the cover with a text message imprinted using the color of text that he or she selects.
The camera company (http://www.thecamera.co.uk) enables a user to order customized single use cameras. The customer mails the company logo, photographs, or other literature to the company, which designs a camera for the customer, having a customized printed paper cover for a group of cameras.
Digital cameras are also increasingly being improved with respect to picture quality and image storage. These improved digital cameras, and the products and services associated with the cameras can in some cases be prohibitively expensive. The conventional approach to the purchase of cameras and photographic products/services does not provide a cost efficient and convenient way to obtain and use a variety of cameras, such as high end, high priced digital cameras, while at the same time taking advantage of the vast array of photographic products and services which are available.
Further, the conventional approach to photography and the purchasing of cameras and associated products and services, does not give a consumer the opportunity to bundle and customize specific photographic products and/or services with a selected camera for a specified fee and time; and the further opportunity to keep the camera at no cost, exchange the camera for a new camera or purchase the camera at a reduced rate at the end of a predetermined time period.
It has also become increasingly popular to share digital images, particular over the internet. However, this has been limited to individuals having relatively expensive computers for the capture and/or transmission of digital. In addition when such personal computers are used, the digital data files are transmitted over standard phone lines. Transmission over conventional phone lines generally takes substantial amounts of time to due to the limited capacity of the typical phone lines. Thus there is a need to expand the number of individuals that accept and transmit digital images without requiring substantial investment in equipment such as personal computer.

Method for providing image goods and/or services to a customer


When a pressure receiving plate provided at a seat back moves to a rear side of a vehicle body when a vehicle is collided from behind, a Bowden cable transmits movement of the pressure receiving plate to a headrest ascending mechanism as a tensile load, thereby quickly ascending a headrest to reliably hold a head of an occupant. The Bowden cable transmits only the tensile load, and hence the Bowden cable is not buckled. Reduction in weight is made possible as compared with the case using a rod for transmitting a compression load. Since the Bowden cable is light, it is not required to unreasonably place the pressure receiving plate at a position near the headrest ascending mechanism for reduction in weight, and hence the pressure receiving plate can be placed at the optimal position where a sufficient driving force is obtained at the time of collision. Thus, a headrest is ascended with favorable responsiveness upon a rear-end collision of a vehicle while using a thin transmission member with low rigidity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a headrest device comprising: a headrest ascending mechanism which ascendably supports a headrest at an upper end of a seat back; a pressure receiving plate which is provided at the seat back to face a back of an occupant and which moves to a rear side in a vehicle body by an inertia force upon a rear-end collision of a vehicle; and transmission means which connects the pressure receiving plate to the headrest ascending mechanism and which operates the headrest ascending mechanism to ascend the headrest when the pressure receiving plate moves to the rear side of the vehicle body.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a vehicle is struck from behind, not only the head of an occupant seated in a seat falls rearward, but also the position of the head tends to be higher than when normally seated because the occupant jumps up from the seat by impact. In order to eliminate the drawback, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-268566 discloses a headrest device in which the movement of a pressure receiving plate that moves rearward by being pressed by the back of the occupant upon a rear-end collision is transmitted via transmission means to the headrest; and the headrest is moved forward to near the head of the occupant; and the headrest is simultaneously ascended or raised.
However, in the above-described conventional headrest device, the headrest is raised by converting the rearward movement of the pressure receiving plate into the upward movement of the rod-shaped transmission means. Therefore, a compression load is applied to the transmission means when the headrest ascends. Accordingly, unless a thick transmission means with high rigidity is used, there arises a possibility that the transmission means is bent and buckled when the headrest ascends, which not only makes it difficult to raise the headrest with favorable responsiveness but also makes it difficult to secure a space for placing the transmission means inside the seat back.


An iontophoretic apparatus comprising a housing member, a current distribution member, a medicament containment member and at least one of a lateral and medial straddling member. The straddling member are configured to correspond to the surrounding soft tissue.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to ocular iontophoretic apparatuses, and more particularly, to a handle for an ocular iontophoretic apparatus (or ocular passive delivery apparatus) to facilitate the grasping, positioning and placement thereof, as well as a retaining member to facilitate the retention thereof in a desired orientation.
2. Background Art
The use of ocular iontophoretic devices has been known in the art. Such devices have been used in an attempt to administer a drug through an electromotive force which drives ionic chemicals through the eye tissue so that they can be absorbed by adjacent tissues and blood vessels.
Among other problems, difficulties can be incurred with the placement of these devices onto the surface of the eye of a patient. Specifically, inasmuch as certain of these devices are intended for use on only a portion of the eye, they are rather small in size. Accordingly, it is difficult for a doctor to carefully position the device in the proper orientation. Moreover, once placed on the patient's eye, it is often difficult to reposition or to adjust the positioning of the device. Further still, it is often difficult to retain the ocular apparatus in the desired orientation for application of medicament.
It will be understood that substantially the same problems and difficulties are associated with passive medicament or fluid delivery devices which are intended for ocular use.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide for a handle member which facilitates the grasping, positioning and placement of ocular iontophoretic apparatuses (or passive apparatus).
It is a further object of the invention to facilitate the registered maintenance of the ocular apparatus in a desired orientation of the eye.
It is likewise an object of the invention to facilitate the repositioning of an ocular apparatus after placement onto the surface of the eye.
It is a further object of the invention to provide for a handle member which can be pinched so as to flex the iontophoretic apparatus during placement onto an eye and during removal from the eye of the patient.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in light of the specification and claims appended hereto.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.