Methods and arrangements for production of petroleum products from a subsea well. The methods comprise control of a downhole separator, supplying power fluid to a downhole turbine/pump hydraulic converter, performing pigging of a subsea manifold, providing gas lift and performing three phase downhole separation. Arrangement for performing the methods are also described.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of controlling a downhole separator for separating hydrocarbons and water such that the hydrocarbons leave the separator flowing through a x-mas tree and a first header in a manifold, where a power fluid is used to drive a downhole turbine/pump hydraulic converter, such that the pump in the downhole turbine/pump hydraulic converter pumps separated water, and where the power fluid for the downhole turbine/pump hydraulic converter is fed through a second header in the manifold, an adjustable valve and the x-mas tree to the turbine in the downhole turbine/pump hydraulic converter. The rate of pumping is controlled by the rate of power fluid based on measures of water level in the separator, a flow split, or oil and/or water entrainment of the separated phases.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the largest cost savings potential in the offshore oil and natural gas production industry is the zero topside facilities concept. i.e. to place as much of the equipment used for producing hydrocarbons on the seabed or downhole. Ideally this would mean the direct transport of produced hydrocarbons from subsea fields to already existing offshore platforms or all the way to shore. To achieve this, several of the topside processes and the provision of various power supplies have to be moved subsea or downhole. This preferably includes separation to intermediately stabilized crude, provide dry gas and most important remove water to reduce pipeline transportation cost and reduce hydrate formation problems associated with long distance hydrocarbon transport. Further advantages may be achieved by utilising subsea single phase or multiphase pump, gas compressor and gas liquid separation.
To achieve the above, electric and hydraulic power has to be supplied from platform or shore and distributed to the various subsea consumers. Hydraulic power has to be made available locally at the subsea production unit to serve equipment at the seabed or downhole.
Water is almost always present in the rock formation where hydrocarbons are found. The reservoir will normally produce an increasing portion of water with increase time. Water generates several problems for the oil and gas production process. It influence the specific gravity of the crude flow by dead weight. It transports the elements that generate scaling in the flow path. It forms the basis for hydrate formation, and it increases the capacity requirements for flowlines and topside separation units. Hence, if water could be removed from the well flow even before it reaches the wellhead, several problems can be avoided. Furthermore, oil and gas production can be enhanced and oil accumulation can be increased since increased lift can be obtained with removal of the produced water fraction.
A downhole hydrocyclone based separation system can be applied for both vertically and horizontally drilled wells, and may be installed in any position. Use of liquid-liquid (oil-water) cyclone separation is only appropriate with higher water-cuts (typical with water continuous wellfluid). Water suitable for re-injection to the reservoir can be provided by such a system. Cyclones are associated with purifying one phase only, which will be the water-phase in a downhole application. Using a multistage separation cyclone separation system, such as described in pending Norwegian patent application NO 2000 0816 of the same applicant will reduce water entrainment in the oil phase. However, pure oil will normally not be achieved by use of cyclones. Furthermore, energy is taken from the well fluid and is consumed for setting up a centrifugal field within the cyclones, thereby creating a pressure drop.
A downhole gravity separator is associated with a well specially designed for its application. A horizontal or a slightly deviated section of the well will provide sufficient retention time and a stratified flow regime, required for oil and water to separate due to density difference.
The separated formation water can be directed up through the wellhead, but would be best disposed of by directly re-injecting it into a reservoir below the oil and/or gas layers, to stabilize and uphold the reservoir pressure in the oil formations. Until recently this has been done by injecting the water in a separate wellbore several kilometres away from the hydrocarbon producing well. However, since an increasing number of wells now are highly deviated and extending through a relatively thin oil and/or gas producing formation, the water may be injected in the same well, some distance from the oil and/or gas producing zone.
Both the cyclone type and the gravity downhole hydrocarbon separator can be combined with either Electrical Submersible Pumps (ESP's) or Hydraulic Submersible Pumps (HSP's). The use of ESP's have increased drastically over the last years, initially for shore based wells, then on offshore platform wells and finally over the last few years on subsea wells. The ESP's are primarily used for pressure boosting the well fluid, but is also applied with cyclone separators for re-injecting produced water and boosting the separated oil to the surface. The pump is driven by asynchrone alternating current utilizing variable frequency, drive provides a variable speed motor driving the pump. Hence, a variable pressure increase can be provided to the flow. This technology is currently improving and is applied in an ever-increasing amount of problem wells. The pump motors requires electric power to be provided from the platform to which the subsea system is connected, or from onshore. One ore more subsea cables are needed as well as a set of subsea, mateable high voltage electric connectors, depending on the number of pumps. Special arrangements have to be made to penetrate the wellhead, and the downhole cable has to be clamped to the production tubing during the well completion. The pump is installed as part of the tubing and hung off the tubing hanger in the x-mas tree. Pump installed by coiled tubing is also being introduced. Limited operational time of a downhole ESP is largely caused by failure in power cable, electrical connections and electrical motors.
The HSP is rotational equipment consisting of a hydraulic powered turbine mechanically driving a pump unit. It is compact and may transfer more power compared to what is currently available with use of ESP's. The rotational speed is very high, resulting in fewer stages and a more compact unit then typical for ESP. Even though the higher rotational speed makes the bearings more sensitive to solid particles. Use of more abrasive resistance materials counteracts this problem. The application of hydrostatic bearings and continuous lubricated bearings with clean fluid supplied from surface gives a hydraulic driven downhole pump extended time in operation in a downhole environment, compared with what is currently expected of an ESP. The HSP's may be installed in the well on the tubing, by coiled tubing or by wireline operation. The pump can be driven by a conventional hydraulic motor but more likely by a turbine.
A gas reservoir normally produced a dry gas into the well inflow zone. When reservoir pressure has depleted or when well draw-down is high condensate may be formed. Water may be drawn from pockets in the reservoir formation of from a gas-water interface in the formation. The energy required for lifting produced liquid to the seabed will result in a substantial pressure drop in the production tubing. Removing the water (and/or condensate) downhole for local injection may thus either be of benefit by achieving a higher production rate determined by a resulting lower wellbore flowing pressure. Alternatively, a lower production rate can provide higher wellhead pressure which can help increasing the possible tie-back distance of a subsea field development to an existing infrastructure.
When considerable volume of gas is present in the wellbore a oil-water separator will have reduced capacity and separation performance will decline. In this case an downhole gas-liquid separator can be built-in upstream the oil-water. A gravity separator may be used, but will be ineffective when liquid is in form of mist carried with the high velocity gas flow. A centrifugal type separator will have enhance performance and enable acceleration of the gas phase past the oil-water separator thereby minimizing flow area occupied by gas.
Certain reservoir conditions and infrastructures may require flow assistance to enable production of oil and gas, and transportation from the reservoir to a production facility, economically, over the life of a field and in the environment. Generally reservoir pressure, high crude specific gravity, high viscosity, deep water, deep reservoir, long tie-back distance and high water content could put different demands and requirements on the equipment used subsea. These demands and requirements may very often vary over time.
Gas lift is a well-known method to assist the flow. As gas is injected in the flow some distance below the wellhead the commingled gas and crude specific gravity is reduced, thus lowering the wellbore inflow pressure resulting in an increased inflow rate. As pressure is reduced higher up in the production tubing, further increasing the gas volume, the gravity is even more reduced, helping the flow considerably. The gas is normally injected inthe annulus through a pressure controlled inlet valve into the production tubing at a suitable elevation.
Another method to increase lift is by introducing a downhole pump, electrical or hydraulic powered, to boost the pressure in the production tubing. The pump should preferably be positioned at the bottom of the well where gas has not been released form the oil, thus providing better efficiency and preventing cavitation problems.
Using gas for gaining artificial lift will increase frictional pressure drop since total volume flow increases with gas being brought back to host. At long tie-back distances the net effect of using gas lift becomes low when gain in static pressure is reduced by increased dynamical pressure losses. However, downhole gas lift can be accomplished locally at the production area by separating and compressing a suitable rate of gas taken from the wellfluid and distributing to the subsea wells for injection. This re-cycling of gas reduces the amount of gas flowing in the pipeline compared to having gas supplied from the host. The advantage of this can be utilized by increasing production rate from the wells, reducing pipeline size or increasing capacity by having additional well producing via the pipeline. In addition to this gas life at the riserbase will become more effective with this process configuration.
A cluster type subsea production system is typically comprising individual satellite trees arrayed around and connected to a central manifold by individual flowline jumpers. A template subsea production system consists of a compact (closely arrayed), modular, and integrated drilling and production system, designed for heavy lift vessel or moonpool/drilling rig deployment/recovery with capability for early-well drilling, ultimately leading to early production. The system is generally associated with a four-well scenario, although larger templates of 6 or 8 slots are sometimes considered, depending on the overall system requirements. In most cases the template will be equipped with a production manifold consisting of two production headers and a pipe spool connecting the headers at one end. This will allow for round trip pigging operations. In case of only one production header is used, pigging operations will require a subsea pig launcher and/or a subsea pig receiver.
The main function of the manifold is to commingle the production into one or more flowlines connected to a topside production facility, which may be located directly above or several kilometers away from the manifold. The manifold is usually a discrete structure, which may be drilling-vessel deployed or heavy-lift vessel deployed, depending on size and weight.
The production branches are tied off from the production header to the manifold import hub via a system of valves, allowing production flow to be directed into one of the production headers, or an individual tree to be isolated from the header. Alternatively, all production may be routed to one flowline allowing for the other flowline to be utilized for service operations.
In some cases the production branches also include chokes. This is depending upon the control system philosophy. Typically, the manifold will include a manifold control module. The main purpose of this is to monitor pressure and temperature and control manifold valves. Other functions may also be included, such as pig detection, multiphase flowmeter interface, sand detection and valve position indication.
An alternative is also to include the tree control modules in the manifold. This may eliminate the need for a dedicated manifold control module, as the tree control modules can control and monitor manifold functions. Again this is dependent on the overall control philosophy, number of functions, and the step-out distance.
Removing water from the well fluid late in the production lift when reservoir pressure has declined and water content has increased facilitates a lessening of fluid transport pipeline capacity. Electrical power is normally supplied to the subsea pumps via individual cables. Power may alternatively be supplied from a subsea power distribution system with a single AC or DC cable connected to the host. Hydraulic oil, chemicals, methanol and control signals are communicated to the subsea installation by use of a service umbilical. In case of using one flowline only, it can be integrated into the service umbilical together with the electrical cables providing a single flexible connection between the subsea production system and host facility. This combination may have a major cost reduction impact, especially for very long tie back distances.
Power fluid supplied subsea can also be utilized to provide downhole pressure boosting of the separated oil phase from the separator. Pressure boosting may also be by boosting the wellfluid flowing into the separator. Both ESP's and HSP's can be used to lower the wellbore flowing pressure and thereby increasing the inflow rate from the reservoir.
The conventional and Side Valve Trees have a basic philosophical difference in the sequence of installing the tubing completion. The conventional system is normally thought of for the drilling and completion scenario, which means that the tubing hanger is installed into the wellhead immediately after installation of the casing strings. This is done while the BOP (Blow-out Preventer) stack is still connected to the wellhead. The tree is then installed on the completed wellhead with a dedicated, open water riser system. Flowlines are then connected to the tree. This tends to be very efficient when it is known that a well will be completed. The down side of the conventional tree system is that any workover of the wellbore, where the completion is recovered, involves recovery of the tree. This means that flowlines and umbilical connectors, along with jumpers, must be disconnected prior to tree recovery. The tree is recovered with the dedicated riser system, then the BOP system is installed on the wellhead and only then the completion can be recovered.
A dual function x-mas tree is utilized when it is desirable to inject and produce through the same tree/wellhead. The advantage to this case is the elimination of drilling a dedicated injection well.
Downhole pressure control is required in the form of downhole safety valves. Both the inner and outer strings require safety valves. The inner string could be production or injection, and the second string (outer) would be injection. Further, if two sets of DHSV's (Downhole Safety Valves) are used then it will be assumed that each valve (inner and outer) will be controlled on an individual hydraulic function. The Horizontal Side Valve Tree provides the best solution for this configuration. The main reason for this is the advantage of being able to pull the downhole completion through the tree, which is not possible in the case of conventional trees.
The Side Valve Tree (SVT) is normally intended for a batch drilling scenario, or when planned workovers are anticipated. The SVT also is used when artificial lift means are incorporated, Such as an Electrical Submerged Pump (ESP) is either planned or used later in the field life. Vertical access is accomplished using a Blow-Out Prevention (BOP) system, or other dedicated system. Since the valves are located on the side of the spool, full bore access (usually 18¾″ diameter) is achieved. Flowlines are not disturbed during any of the workover interventions. In essence, the SVT becomes a tubing spool and the completion is installed into this spool. The down side of the SVT system is that the BOP stack must be recovered between drilling the casing and drilling the completion. The SVT is landed on the wellhead, and the BOP is re-installed on top of the SVT.
The Independently Retrievable Tree (IRT), currently being developed, combines the most desirable features of the conventional x-mas tree and the SVT. This type of tree is considered a true through-bore tree. Simply stated, the IRT allows recovery of either the tree or the tubing hanger independent of each other. Installation order of this system is also independent of each other. This means that the tubing hanger can be installed as in a conventional system, and then install the tree. The system also allows for installation of the tree first, like the SVT system, then install the completion. This type of design provides for maximum flexibility compared with the previous systems. When more equipment being installed downhole the need for regular retrieval of the completion increases, which favours the Side Valve and IR Tree.
The use of a standard production Side Valve Tree in combination with an injection spool would be considered a highly feasible solution. This solution utilizes existing technologies for the primary equipment. Tubing spools are frequently used in subsea wellhead production equipment as an alternative means for tubing hanger support. This "stacked" tree arrangement would be much the same as a tree-on-tubing spool configuration. This solution utilizes existing technologies for the primary equipment. An increased number of penetrations are required for wellbore control. Additional penetrations are an expansion of current technology, which is considered both feasible and mature.


Disclosed are a small fuse and a method of manufacturing the same. A cover made from thermosetting resin is coupled with is a base to receive a fusing element therein. The fusing element does not cause damage to the cover even if the fusing element makes contact with an inner wall of the cover due to size reduction of the cover.

In general, higher voltage may be applied to electronic products, such as communication devices connected to telephone circuits, when surge current caused by induction lightning is applied to the electronic products or telephone lines make contact with power lines. For this reason, a fuse used in the communication device must have time lag characteristics to endure against the surge current caused by the induction lightning as well as current blocking characteristics to block current causing malfunction of the communication device.
Recently, as the size of devices has become reduced, the current blocking characteristics and the time lag characteristics are required for the surface-mount type small fuse.
The conventional small fuse includes a base, a pair of lead wires extending by passing through the base while being spaced apart from each other, a fusing element for connecting ends of the lead wires to each other, and a cover coupled with the base to receive the fusing element and the lead wires therein.
The fusing element and the lead wires are made from an alloy of copper and tin so that they have flexibility so as to be bent easily. The base and the cover are individually manufactured by using thermoplastic resin and then coupled with each other to define a space therebetween to receive the fusing element and end portions of the lead wires adjacent to the fusing element.
The small fuse is mounted on the PCB of the electronic product through the lead wires extending out of the base and the fusing element of the small fuse is melted when the over current is applied to the PCB, thereby protecting circuits of the PCB.


A content delivery networked is monitored to verify operation of control channels for the delivery of content to a customer. Monitoring includes joining a connection with at least one control channel in the network, decoding content of a signal in the control channel, determining whether the decoded content complies with a pre-determined rule corresponding to content transmitted in the control channel, and producing a report indicating whether the decoded content is compliant with the rule. In addition, a graphical user interface (GUI) displays the status and results of testing the control channel. The GUI is configured to perform generating a display representing testing status of a plurality of DSG tunnels in a first frame and test results of the DSG tunnels in a second frame and providing details of a DSG tunnel test when selected by a user.

Multiple System Operators (MSOs) are converging their video and data content-delivery networks (CDNs) to an all-digital converged network, allowing advanced services to be deployed, such as video on demand (VoD), switched digital video, on-line gaming and network based personal video recording (PVR) services. The ability to converge networks is due, in large part, to the OpenCable initiative for standardizing the operating systems of electronics that connect to the network, such as set top boxes (STBs), so that they could interact with the different CDNs. For STBs and video related services specifically, CableLabs®, a standards organization in the cable industry, published the OpenCable™ Applications Platform (OCAP), which addressed the problem of proprietary operating system software, and created a common platform on which interactive services may be deployed. OCAP has been adopted by the major MSOs and has been branded the Tru2way® specification.
As part of Tru2way specification, key changes were implemented that affect the command and control transport mechanism between the STB and the headend.
Specifically, CableLabs laid the groundwork for new interactive video services when it developed the DOCSIS Set-top Gateway (DSG) Interface Specification, which leverages DOCSIS standards-based equipment and introduces open, standards-based technology for video networks. This specification defines interface requirements for transport of a class of service known as "out-of-band (OOB) messaging" between network controllers, application servers, and customer premises equipment (CPE) such as residential gateways, televisions and STBs.
Prior to Tru2way standard, core STB technology remained primarily proprietary in nature. STB technology relied on the use of a dedicated "out-of band" or OOB channel to transmit control messaging from the headend to each STB. For example, conditional access (CA), system information (SI), electronic program guide (EPG), emergency alert system (EAS) and other STB command and control messages were sent via a downstream OOB radio frequency (RF) channel that was separate from the channels actually being watched. Specifically, an OOB gateway in the headend system received the content for the OOB channel over an IP/Ethernet connection from an application server, terminated the IP/Ethernet connection, and converted the content to ATM or MPEG-TS frames before passing the content down the OOB channel to the STB. Each OOB carrier typically required unique, proprietary headend equipment such as out-of-band modulators and return path demodulators.
Applicants identified a number of problems associated with a proprietary OOB channel. Besides requiring proprietary headend equipment to transmit/receive the signal as mentioned above, the proprietary nature of the OOB signal rendered it opaque and not subject to inspection and testing. Consequently, problems were usually realized only after a subscriber called to complain about service. Furthermore, even if one were able to penetrate the proprietary nature of the OOB signal and decode it, monitoring all the OOB signals across different plants was impractical because of all the different types of OOB signals used and the lack of connectivity between headends.
The DSG specification, however, moves away from traditional proprietary OOB transport to widespread, IP-based technology, while preserving the essential nature of current OOB transport. The control information is carried on an "always-on" control channel that is separate from the video delivery channel. Furthermore, DSG consolidates control traffic from the legacy video network onto the Converged Regional Area Network (CRAN) and DOCSIS networks. Applicant has identified that that this interoperability and consolidation of control traffic offers unique opportunities to monitor and test control channel signals.


A processing apparatus for subject of the present invention uses a high voltage electrode and a ground electrode, and generates plasma under atmospheric pressure in a reaction passage through which a to-be-processed subject passes. For example, even fluorocompound such as PFC including CF4 can effectively be decomposed because the fluorocompound is brought into contact with plasma in a small space for sufficient time, and the apparatus has a small and simple structure. Therefore, the apparatus can be added to each process chamber.

According to most of conventional processing methods of exhaust gas, the gas is processed by a chemical method under atmospheric pressure. Normally, in these processing steps, gas exhausted from each reaction apparatus is collected and collectively processed under normal atmospheric pressure. That is, cleaning of gas and other chemical process are carried out using water by a scrubber or the like.
According to such a chemical processing method, however, a to-be-processed subject processing system becomes greater than a producing system in scale in some cases, and this is not practical economically.
On the other hand, there is also proposed a method for electrically processing the exhaust gas. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. H4-80723 relates to processing of CVD gas. In this publication, magnetic field is applied to a plasma generation space, various exhaust gases are decomposed and solidified and collected.
According to this electrically processing method, however, an apparatus for applying the magnetic field is required, and its structure is not always simple and small. Further, gas to be decomposed is CVD gas, and this method can not efficiently decompose PFC gas which is highly required to be rendered harmless in recent years. Further, since this conventional example is limited to the electric discharge under a reduced pressure atmosphere, its apparatus must be disposed between a high-vacuum pump and a roughing vacuum pump. Furthermore, it is troublesome to separately collect the solidified gas at much expense in effort.
In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus for subject and a plasma system using the same in which the apparatus has small and simple structure, the apparatus can be added to a plasma system, the apparatus is inexpensive and can be operated without taking many hands, the apparatus does not damage an auxiliary system such as a pump, and decomposing efficiency of harmful material, especially PFC gas is high.

Object processing apparatus and plasma facility comprising the same


A covert activity monitoring apparatus and conditional response system having a response apparatus comprising a sensor interface and a wireless interface and one or more sensors having a predetermined conditional interrupt that can result in the response apparatus logging an activity for later download and/or transmitting an alarm condition to a remote monitoring system. In addition the remote monitoring system can initiate a locator sequence for the article incorporating the activity monitoring system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to asset management systems and, more specifically, to a covert activity monitoring apparatus and conditional response system comprising a response apparatus and one or more sensors having a predetermined conditional interrupt that can result in the response apparatus logging an activity for later download and/or transmitting an alarm condition to a remote monitoring system. In addition the remote monitoring system can initiate a locator sequence for the article incorporating the activity monitoring system.
The response apparatus is comprised of a sensor interface and a wireless interface. The sensor interface controls the input and output with the one or more sensors while the wireless interface can be engaged by the sensor interface or the remote monitoring system to initiate a location sequence.
The covert activity monitoring apparatus and conditional response system is an asset management system used to preprogram event responses from at least one event indicator comprising any sensor or electronic apparatus that responds to a stimulus in a predetermined manner and generates a determinable signal to said stimulus. The determinable signal can be an electrical or fiber optic signal or propagation of an electromagnetic wave, such as radio, infrared, visible light or ultraviolet signal.
Sensor circuitry is operable to determine the occurrence of a stimulus event and coupled to the sensor interface of the activity monitoring and conditional response system. Since the acceptable environmental parameters are predefined, the stimulus event is easily predeterminable. Therefore, the type of activity to be monitored incorporates the appropriate monitoring sensor communicating with the sensor interface of the activity monitoring and conditional response system which determines the event response that will be initiated upon receipt of the sensor signal triggered by the stimulus event. In some instances, the preprogrammed response may be to record the event for later download and analysis or may include actively controlling various subsystems of the monitored article.
In the preferred embodiment, the monitored article is a portable sealable shipping container used in the transportation of freight aboard ships, rail cars and motorized vehicles, such as tractor hauled trailers. Accordingly, the present invention provides means for managing the assets within the container whether or not the container is tethered to a transportation medium such as a tractor.
Assets within a shipping container may require more care than moving the freight from point 'A' to point 'B'. The conditions under which the freight was transported or the environment within the container may determine the value of the freight upon reaching its destination, such as maintaining the temperature within a refrigerated unit. In addition, the obvious paramount necessity is to prevent tampering with or theft of the freight. Therefore, the response apparatus of the present invention is a programmable device wherein an applicable event response is programmed into the sensor interface as determined by the user.
For example, in a vehicle, this may include controlling engine speed and/or braking or an emergency communication can be automatically transmitted, using the present invention's incorporated telemetry apparatus, to a remote guardian for recording or other predetermined guardian response, such as initiating a locator sequence.
As used herein, the sensor interface includes a microcontroller communicating with at least one sensor providing information relating to the sensor status with a predetermined event indicator sequence to be executed that can include recording the event as well as initiating a locate sequence using the wireless interface.
With the advent of geo-positioned satellites, the location of an asset is precisely ascertainable through trilateration of satellite signals, such as those broadcast by the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) and the European Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Galileo System. In consideration of these available and highly accurate systems, the present invention's wireless interface uses one or more position determination modules to define the location of a monitored asset for recording or immediate broadcast. Notwithstanding some unforeseen advantage, the preferred embodiment incorporates a GPS module and wireless interface into a basic locator unit working in conjunction with the aforementioned sensor interface to form a 'Security Tracker' device, which for clarity and illustrative purposes is described in a tractor-trailer application.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other tracking/locator devices designed for freight. While these locator devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.
Therefore it is felt that a need exists for a covert device that can be incorporated into the body of a container having means for communicating with at least one sensor and whereby when said sensor is triggered, means for recording and or transmitting said information to a remote location is performed.
Furthermore, a need exist wherein the remote monitoring location is provided with means for designating various sensors to be utilized in the management of the container freight and what action should be initiated when said sensor(s) are triggered. Whether that action is to record the sensor data for later download or whether an emergency transmission to the remote location is initiated.


The invention relates to a method of treating at least one symptom of a lower urinary tract disorder in a subject in need of treatment wherein the symptom is selected from the group consisting of urinary frequency, urinary urgency, urinary urge incontinence, nocturia and enuresis. The method comprises administering to a subject in need of treatment a therapeutically effective amount of a compound that has 5-HT3 receptor antagonist activity and NorAdrenaline Reuptake Inhibitor (NARI) activity. The invention further relates to a method of treating at least one symptom of a lower urinary tract disorder in a subject in need of treatment wherein the symptom is selected from the group consisting of urinary frequency, urinary urgency, urinary urge incontinence, nocturia and enuresis, comprising coadministering to said subject a first amount of a 5-HT3 antagonist and a second amount of a NARI, wherein the first and second amounts together comprise a therapeutically effective amount or are each present in a therapeutically effective amount.

Lower urinary tract disorders affect the quality of life of millions of men and women in the United States every year. While the kidneys filter blood and produce urine, the lower urinary tract functions to store and periodically eliminate urine and includes all other parts of the urinary tract except the kidneys. Generally, the lower urinary tract includes the ureters, the urinary bladder, sphincter and the urethra. Disorders of the lower urinary tract include overactive bladder, interstitial cystitis, prostatitis, prostadynia and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Overactive bladder is a treatable medical condition that is estimated to affect 17 to 20 million people in the United States. Symptoms of overactive bladder can include urinary frequency, urinary urgency, urinary urge incontinence (accidental loss of urine) due to a sudden and unstoppable need to urinate, nocturia (the disturbance of nighttime sleep because of the need to urinate) or enuresis resulting from overactivity of the detrusor muscle (the smooth muscle of the bladder which contracts and causes it to empty).
Neurogenic overactive bladder (or neurogenic bladder) is a type of overactive bladder which occurs as a result of detrusor muscle overactivity referred to as detrusor hyperreflexia, secondary to known neurologic disorders. Patients with neurologic disorders, such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathy, or spinal cord lesions often suffer from neurogenic overactive bladder. In contrast, non-neurogenic overactive bladder occurs as a result of detrusor muscle overactivity referred to as detrusor muscle instability. Detrusor muscle instability can arise from non-neurological abnormalities, such as bladder stones, muscle disease, urinary tract infection or drug side effects or can be idiopathic.
Due to the enormous complexity of micturition (the act of urination) an exact mechanism which causes overactive bladder is not known. Overactive bladder can result from hypersensitivity of sensory neurons of the urinary bladder, arising from various factors including inflammatory conditions, hormonal imbalances, and prostate hypertrophy. Destruction of the sensory nerve fibers, either from a crushing injury to the sacral region of the spinal cord, or from a disease that causes damage to the dorsal root fibers as they enter the spinal cord can also lead to overactive bladder. In addition, damage to the spinal cord or brain stem causing interruption of transmitted signals can lead to abnormalities in micturition. Therefore, both peripheral and central mechanisms can be involved in mediating the altered activity in overactive bladder.
In spite of the uncertainty regarding whether central or peripheral mechanisms, or both, are involved in overactive bladder, many proposed mechanisms implicate neurons and pathways that mediate non-painful visceral sensation. Somatosensory information from the bladder is relayed by nociceptive Aδ and C fibers that enter the spinal cord via the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and project to the brainstem and thalamus via second or third order neurons (Andersson (2002) Urology 59:18–24; Andersson (2002) Urology 59:43–50; Morrison, J., Steers, W. D., Brading, A., Blok, B., Fry, C., de Groat, W. C., Kakizaki, H., Levin, R., and Thor, K. B., "Basic Urological Sciences" In: Incontinence (vol. 2) Abrams, P. Khoury, S., and Wein, A. (Eds.) Health Publications, Ltd., Plymbridge Ditributors, Ltd., Plymouth, UK., (2002). A number of different subtypes of sensory afferent neurons can be involved in neurotransmission from the lower urinary tract. These can be classified as, but not limited to, small diameter, medium diameter, large diameter, myelinated, unmyelinated, sacral, lumbar, peptidergic, non-peptidergic, IB4 positive, IB4 negative, C fiber, Aδ fiber, high threshold or low threshold neurons. Nociceptive input to the DRG is thought to be conveyed to the brain along several ascending pathways, including the spinothalamic, spinoreticular, spinomesencephalic, spinocervical, and in some cases dorsal column/medial lemniscal tracts (A. I. Basbaum and T. M. Jessell (2000) The perception of pain. In Principles of Neural Science, 4th. ed.).
Currently there are no clinically approved applications of central nervous system oriented pharmacotherapies for treating lower urinary tract disorders, such as overactive bladder. However, recent animal studies have suggested potential targets in the central nervous system for modulating urinary tract functions. For example, in the raphe nucleus of the caudal brain stem, 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin, 5-HT) containing neurons send projections to the dorsal horn as well as to the autonomic and sphincter motor nuclei in the lumbosacral spinal cord. The sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic nuclei as well as the sphincter motor nuclei receive prominent serotonergic input from the raphe nuclei in the caudal brain stem. Activity in the serotonergic pathway generally enhances urine storage by facilitating the vesical sympathetic reflex pathway and inhibiting the parasympathetic voiding pathway (Sharma, A. et al. (2000) Pharmacokinetics and safety of duloxetine, a dual-serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 40: 161 and Thor, K. B. et al. (1995) Effects of duloxetine, a combined serotonin and norephinephrine reuptake ihibitor, on central neural control of lower urinary tract function in the chloralose-anesthetized female cat. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 274: 1016.)
Among the various subtypes of 5-HT receptors, 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 receptors mediate excitatory effects on sympathetic and somatic reflexes to increase outlet resistance. Moreover, 5-HT2C and 5-HT3 receptors have also been shown to be involved in inhibition of the micturition reflex (Downie, J. W. (1999) Pharmacological manipulation of central micturition circuitry. Curr. Opin. SPNS Inves. Drugs 1:23). In fact, 5-HT3 receptor inhibition has been shown to diminish 5-HT mediated contractions in rabbit detrusor (Khan, M. A. et al. (2000) Doxazosin modifies serotonin-mediated rabbit urinary bladder contraction. Potential clinical relevance. Urol. Res. 28:116).
Current treatments for overactive bladder include medication, diet modification, programs in bladder training, electrical stimulation, and surgery. Currently, antimuscarinics (which are members of the general class of anticholinergics) are the primary medication used for the treatment of overactive bladder. The antimuscarinic, oxbutynin, has been the mainstay of treatment for overactive bladder. However, treatment with antimuscarinics suffers from limited efficacy and side effects such as dry mouth, dry eyes, dry vagina, blurred vision, cardiac side effects, such as palpitations and arrhythmia, drowsiness, urinary retention, weight gain, hypertension and constipation, which have proven difficult for some individuals to tolerate.
Interstitial cystitis is another lower urinary tract disorder of unknown etiology that predominantly affects young and middle-aged females, although men and children can also be affected. Symptoms of interstitial cystitis can include irritative voiding symptoms, urinary frequency, urinary urgency, nocturia or suprapubic or pelvic pain related to and relieved by voiding. Many interstitial cystitis patients also experience headaches as well as gastrointestinal and skin problems. In some cases, interstitial cystitis can also be associated with ulcers or scars of the bladder.(Metts, J. F. (2001) Interstitial Cystitis: Urgency and Frequency Syndrome. American Family Physician 64(7): 1199–1206).
Currently, the only FDA-approved oral medication for use in interstitial cystitis is ELMIRON® (pentosan polysulfate sodium). ELMIRON® was approved in 1996 and is thought to work by restoring a damaged, thin or leaky bladder surface. However, ELMIRON® must be taken continually for several months before any improvements can be expected. As such, lack of patient compliance often results in unsuccessful treatment. In addition, treatment with ELMIRON® is not effective in a large percentage of patients.
Other medications which have been used "off-label" for the treatment of interstitial cystitis include, for example, antidepressants, antihistamines and anticonvulsants (See, Theoharides, T. C. (2001) New agents for the medical treatment of interstitial cystitis. Exp. Opin. Invest. Drugs 10(3): 521–46). However, in view of the unknown cause of interstitial cystitis and the suggestion that the disorder is multifactorial in origin, these additional therapies have not provided adequate relief of the associated symptoms.
Prostatitis and prostadynia are other lower urinary tract disorders that have been suggested to affect approximately 2–9% of the adult male population (Collins M. M. et al., (1998) "How common is prostatitis? A national survey of physician visits," Journal of Urology, 159: 1224–1228). Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate, and includes bacterial prostatitis (acute and chronic) and non-bacterial prostatitis. Acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis are characterized by inflammation of the prostate and bacterial infection of the prostate gland, usually associated with symptoms of pain, urinary frequency and/or urinary urgency. Chronic bacterial prostatitis is distinguished from acute bacterial prostatitis based on the recurrent nature of the disorder. Chronic non-bacterial prostatitis is characterized by inflammation of the prostate which is of unknown etiology accompanied by the presence of an excessive amount of inflammatory cells in prostatic secretions not currently associated with bacterial infection of the prostate gland, and usually associated with symptoms of pain, urinary frequency and/or urinary urgency. Prostadynia is a disorder which mimics the symptoms of prostatitis absent inflammation of the prostate, bacterial infection of the prostate and elevated levels inflammatory cells in prostatic secretions. Prostadynia can be associated with symptoms of pain, urinary frequency and/or urinary urgency.
Currently, there are no established treatments for prostatitis and prostadynia. Antibiotics are often prescribed, but with little evidence of efficacy. COX-2 selective inhibitors and α-adrenergic blockers and have been suggested as treatments, but their efficacy has not been established. Hot sitz baths and anticholinergic drugs have also been employed to provide some symptomatic relief.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a non-malignant enlargement of the prostate that is very common in men over 40 years of age. BPH is thought to be due to excessive cellular growth of both glandular and stromal elements of the prostate. Symptoms of BPH can include urinary frequency, urinary urgency, urge incontinence, nocturia, or reduced urinary force and speed of flow.
Invasive treatments for BPH include transurethral resection of the prostate, transurethral incision of the prostate, balloon dilation of the prostate, prostatic stents, microwave therapy, laser prostatectomy, transrectal high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy and transurethral needle ablation of the prostate. However, complications can arise through the use of some of these treatments, including retrograde ejaculation, impotence, postoperative urinary tract infection and some urinary incontinence. Non-invasive treatments for BPH include androgen deprivation therapy and the use of 5α-reductase inhibitors and α-adrenergic blockers. However, these treatments have proven only minimally to moderately effective for some patients.
In view of the limitations associated with existing therapies and treatments for lower urinary tract disorders, new therapies and treatments are highly desirable.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of treating lower urinary tract disorders


A method and apparatus for treating residual or waste materials that can be recycled energetically, especially light-weight refuse from shredders, which, reduced in size and classified, are stored in bunkers. The residual or waste material is fed by portions from the bunkers to a supply trough in a metal melting furnace, especially an electric arc furnace for melting steel. After a predetermined time, the residual material is placed by portions into a sluice that can be closed in a gas-tight manner. After the sluice is closed, the residual material is subjected to an oxygen-containing gas, the pressure of which is higher than the pressure at the furnace head of the metal melting furnace, until the pressure within the sluice exceed the pressure in the furnace head. The sluice output opening facing toward the furnace vessel bottom is opened after the pressure within the sluice exceeds the pressure in the furnace head and the residual material is conveyed pneumatically into the chamber part. Nozzles in the chamber part inject oxygen into the shaft to encourage combustion and to assist the acceleration of the residual or waste material through the chamber and into the bottom area of the furnace. The residual material is then submerged in the metal melt located in the bottom area of the metal melting furnace for complete conversion or incineration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for treating waste or residual materials which can be utilized energetically, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for treating refuse from light-duty shredders, which, having been reduced in size and classified, are stored in bunkers and fed into an electric arc furnace for incineration.
2. Description of the Related Art
In processing consumer goods, it is desirable to produce the smallest possible quantity of residue or waste. It is further desirable to produce waste that can be disposed of easily. The objective is, if possible, to process residues or wastes in such a way that increasingly large quantities can be recycled.
Special requirements are posed in recycling used automobiles, for example. Compared to discarded machinery and equipment from old industrial sites, ships and railroad facilities, used automobiles contain an especially high percentage of non-metallic materials such as plastic, glass, rubber, textiles, lacquer, oil and grease, along with metal coatings such as tin and zinc, and non-ferrous metal components such as cobalt, copper and chrome. In standard processing aggregates, i.e. shears, presses and shredders, it is possible to deliberately produce particular bulk densities of recyclable material.
One method of processing a given portion of residue or waste containing a percentage of lighter-weight shredder residue is to produce a plastic granulate and inject the granulate into a blast furnace or cupola furnace. When this is done, the portion of the residue making up the percentage of lighter-weight shredder residue or waste material must first be ground at high expense into a granule smaller than 4 mm. The plastic portion of the residue or waste must then be separated out and injected in the area of the blast-tuyere level of a blast furnace at temperatures of approximately 2000.degree. C. This method is not only expensive, but also recycles only a relatively small portion of residual materials.


A spray nozzle actuator has a fitment for placement on the ring fitting of a spray can, an hinge or resilient portion, a nozzle pressing portion, and an handle portion extending forwardly of, and along the can. The handle is shaped to avoid obstruction of the spray nozzle, such as by having a large aperture through which a cone of spray may flow with little or no impingement. An operator can hold the spray can in the palm of one hand and reach forward with their fingers to grasp the handle. A generally rearward pull on the handle causes the spray can nozzle to move, releasing the spray.

Spray dispenser handles, whether for discharging aerosols from a pressurized container or for operating a pump mechanism to drive a spray out a nozzle, have been known for many years. Typically the container vessel is in the form of a cylindrical can, or largely cylindrical bottle containing the fluid to be dispensed. A nozzle is provided at one end of the cylinder, usually with the opening of the nozzle oriented to spray radially outward relative to the longitudinal axis of the container. Although some sprays are in a continuous straight-line stream, generally the spray leaving the nozzle has a cone shaped zone of coverage. There are three common types of nozzle. The first type is the standard stub nozzle found on gas propellant aerosol containers used in many applications, from automotive touch-up paint to insect repellent. These nozzles are generally actuated by being pressed inwardly along the longitudinal axis of the container. The second type, is also for gas propellant aerosol containers such as those used to dispense expanding foam sealant. This kind of nozzle is supplied with a relatively large, and lengthy angled tube, the nozzle valve being actuated by lateral deflection of the top of the nozzle from the container centreline. The third kind of common nozzle has a reciprocating pump element that is worked by longitudinal pressing.
As pertains to the first and third types of nozzle, existing handles may not be entirely satisfactory. Examples of known spray handles of the inventor Brody are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,812 issued Feb. 21, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,954 issued Feb. 11, 1992; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,937 issued Jun. 28, 1994 . Also known are U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,474 to Hutchinson et al., issued Feb. 21, 1984 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,240 to Brack, issued Aug. 30, 1983. Each of these documents shows an actuating handle for use with a stub nozzle on a standard gas propellant aerosol spray can. The first four of these patents show fittings for removable attachment to the neck ring of the spray can, and, in the fifth instance, a releasable fitting for engaging the body of the can near its upper end. All five have handles which extend rearwardly from the can, that is, in the opposite direction from the spray, and have a moving member akin to a trigger. Motion of the trigger causes the stub nozzle to be depressed, thus allowing a spray of fluid to escape.
In each case the centre of gravity of the can, fluid, and propellant, if any, is well offset from the handle, such that a person wishing to spray a vertical wall, for example, must also apply a bending moment when holding the can to keep it properly oriented. This may place undue stress on the wrist and forearm, and may be uncomfortable. An uncomfortable operator may not spray with the same precision or consistency over time. It would be advantageous to grasp the can relatively close to its centre-of gravity.
Furthermore, in each of the rearwardly depending handle examples noted above, the handle includes a stationary part and a movable trigger part so that the fingers grasp the trigger and the palm of the hand engages the stationary part, the nozzle being operated when the two parts are squeezed together. It would be advantageous to eliminate the stationary part of the handle, and use the can itself as the reacting member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,942 issued Oct. 26, 1976 to Morane et al., shows an handle mechanism for operating an aerosol spray nozzle, that handle extending downwardly along the forward side of the aerosol can such that an operator may grasp the can and handle and squeeze them together. The Morane et al., device appears to have relatively complicated molded parts, and does not spray through or past the handle, but rather ducts the fluid through a long, narrow passageway as shown in FIG. 2 thereof as item 8b or in FIG. 9 as item 26. Such a nozzle may not be suitable for use with materials which are likely to clog between uses--such as paints or adhesives for which a shorter nozzle may be desired. Further, while the Morane et al., handle is removable and interchangeable from its own fitting, the can fitting itself does not appear to be intended to be moved from can to can.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,263 issued Apr. 10, 1990 to Corba also shows a forwardly depending trigger assembly for a spray nozzle. In this instance the assembly is for operating a pump type nozzle, and the nozzle exit extends forwardly of the handle. The relatively complex parts illustrated do not appear to be suited for use with, or rapid interchange between, standard spray cans.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,548 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,549 both issued Mar. 7, 1978 to Beard. They show threadably removable pump assemblies mounted to containers. FIGS. 5 and 6 of '548 show a trigger assembly with a push button 59 having a nozzle 60 mounted to the pump assembly. The trigger body portion 61 is bifurcated to straddle the push button. The push button is pulled down using a saddle in the form of a cap 64, fitted tightly on the top of the push button, the cap being connected to the sides of the body portion by links 65 (one on each side). The handles terminate near the neck of the container, rather than well down the body.
An interchangeable actuator with a levered handle would also be advantageous for use with compressed materials such as expandable foam sealants. At present a number of expandable foam sealants are sold in compressed gas containers, the packaging including a threaded spout generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the can, and a plastic nipple to be mounted on the spout. The nipple typically has an angled arm which feeds an extended discharge tube. An operator positions the outlet of the tube in a location in which foam is desired, and then deflects the spout laterally to cause the foam to be released. The nipple and tube may be supplied either as a monolithic plastic part, or as parts to be assembled.
Use of these foam sealant dispensers may sometimes result in less than optimal distribution. The foam, which can easily coat hands and clothes, is not necessarily given to easy cleaning or removal. As a precaution, at least one manufacturer includes a pair of disposable plastic gloves with its product. It would be advantageous to have a removable handle, interchangeable from can to can, for controlling the dispensing of this foam.
There is, therefore, a need for an improved, relatively simple actuator assembly.


A semiconductor chip includes a first mark for identifying a position of the chip within an exposure field. The semiconductor chip includes a first matrix in a first layer of the chip and a second mark within the first matrix identifying a position of the exposure field on a wafer.

Typically, it is difficult to trace the origins of failed semiconductor chips that have been returned by customers. A failed semiconductor chip may be traced back to a defined number of lots, such as for example three lots, but rarely to one lot, to a wafer of a lot, or to a defined position on a wafer of a lot. As a result, the correlation of the failure with inline data obtained during the manufacturing process is hindered and an in depth root cause analysis of the failure is difficult. In addition, it is typically difficult to keep track of multiple semiconductor chip samples during product and technology development and during product and technology qualification (e.g., tracking of process splits, yield learning).
For these and other reasons, there is a need for the present invention.

Method of making a semiconductor chip including identifying marks


A fusion protein is provided, comprising i) a biologically active polypeptide; and ii) a half-life extending polypeptide moiety comprising 2-80 units independently selected the amino acid sequences according to SEQ ID NO: 1: X1-X2-X3-X4-X5-X6-D-X8-X9-X10-X11 (SEQ ID NO: 1) in which, independently: X1 is P or absent; X2 is V or absent; X3 is P or T; X4 is P or T; X5 is T or V; X6 is D, G or T; X8 is A, Q or S; X9 is E, G or K; X10 is A, E P or T; and X11 is A, P or T. The half-life extending polypeptide moiety has a generally unfolded conformation and provides a fusion protein with a large hydrodynamic radius that may avoid renal clearance. As a result, the biological half-life of the fusion protein is increased and the biological effect of the biologically active polypeptide may thus be prolonged.

Therapeutic proteins and peptides are often hampered by a short half-life in vivo. Especially smaller proteins and peptides are readily cleared from circulation by filtration by the kidneys. As biologics most often are administrated by either intravenous (i.v., iv) or subcutaneous (s.c., sc) injection, the time span between each dose is of great importance. Meanwhile, these routes of administration, in particular intravenous injection, typically require the assistance of healthcare professionals and may also be uncomfortable, even painful, to the patient, and thus more frequent dosing increases patient discomfort and inconvenience, and demands healthcare resources. This is in great contrast to dosing of a small molecule drug, which can often be administrated by less invasive routes, such as orally, intranasally or topically, as often as required, with much less effort and inconvenience.
One of the earliest attempts to address the problem of rapid clearance of biologics or biopharmaceuticals from circulation was to chemically attach a polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymer chain to a protein or peptide to increase the hydrodynamic radius of the drug, which translates to an increased apparent size in solution, such that it reaches a size that is not readily cleared by the kidneys. This technology, termed PEGylation, has shown to be successful, and is currently used in approved pharmaceutical products. However, the step of chemical attachment adds another process step to the manufacturing, resulting in an increased cost of the manufactured drug. Furthermore, attachment of a PEG moiety can occur at various sites of a protein or peptide, resulting in a product of greatly increased inhomogeneity in which the location of the PEG chain varies among individual molecules. The nature of the PEG polymer itself also adds a degree of inhomogeneity as the polymer is not monodisperse, but rather a collection of PEG polymers of similar, but not equal, length.
Contrary to the original belief that it was non-immunogenic and even capable of reducing immunogenicity also towards molecules to which it was linked, PEG has later been found to be immunogenic. In one example this led to a significantly increased clearance of the drug to which it was linked (PEG-uricase; Ganson N J et al., 2005).
With the aim to remove the additional manufacturing step and create a monodisperse product, companies like Amunix Inc and XL-Protein GmbH have developed half-life extending technologies based on randomly non-repetitive protein sequences that can be used as fusion partners to prolong the biological half-life of therapeutic proteins and peptides (Podust et al. 2016 J Control Release, Schlapschy et al. 2013 Protein Eng Des Sel).
Another avenue to prolong the biological half-life of biologics is fusion to a partner in the form of a serum protein with long half-life, two of the most common fusion partners being human serum albumin (HSA) and the Fc portion of human antibodies. Particularly the Fc domain has been extensively used as a half-life extending fusion partner. Both HSA and Fc are large enough to avoid renal clearance, and also benefit from a recycling pathway involving the neonatal Fc receptor, to which these proteins bind, thereby further prolonging their half-life beyond that achievable by reduced renal clearance only (Kontermann R E. Half-life extended biotherapeutics. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2016). The human origin of such fusion partners also means a low immunogenic response in human patients.
However, despite the advancements described above, there remains a need in the art for new means of prolonging the half-life of biologics.

Fusion protein with half-life extending polypeptide


A surface testing device, operating by reflection, for linearly moving, tape-like materials, for example paper or polymer films, is suitable for automatic online registration of linear irregularities transverse to the direction of movement. The testing device includes a suitable test distance, at least two optical inspection units and at least one electronic circuit arrangement for detecting both the individual signals of the inspection units and the coincidence signals. In addition, a magnetic information medium wound in the form of a roll on a hub is tested by the surface testing device and carries a machine-readable and/or visually readable quality identification.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface testing means, operating by reflection, for linearly moving, tape-like materials, in particular for an information-carrying tape coated with a magnetic recording layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
When tape-like materials of this type are used, they have to meet high requirements with regard to freedom from errors. In particular, linear surface irregularities transverse to the running direction of the tape are undesirable. These form in particular as a result of creasing during their production in a tape coating machine. In this procedure, a tape-like substrate is unwound from a roll, transported in its running direction through the machine by means of positively driven rollers, coated and finally wound onto a second roll under tension.
It is known that transverse creases can form in the outer wound layer, for example as a result of brief changes in the winding speed or in the tension, and are included in the roll during further winding. As a result of the action of the tension of subsequent wound layers, this leads to permanent, linear deformations of the tape surface. These may render the relevant roll useless. Since such creasing cannot be completely avoided with the conventional winding means, there is a need for suitable surface testing means for detecting the creases or the linear deformations of the tape-like material which are caused by creasing.
An appropriate optical testing means is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,130,555. According to this, a pattern of linear, parallel stripes is projected onto the surface of a continuously moving tape-like material and the line pattern reflected by the surface is electronically evaluated. A crease is detected if the reflected pattern deviates from the original with regard to linearity. The tape crease can then be eliminated by a suitable tape guide means.
This technical procedure is, however, very expensive because, for example, a complex test system comprising video camera, video processor and subsequent electronic data processing is required.
This is true particularly when a plurality of tape strips of the tape-like material are to be tested simultaneously, for example on a longitudinal slitting machine for magnetic information media. It is also possible that very fine linear irregularities will not be detected, owing to the limited optical resolution of the imaging system and the digitizing of the reflected pattern. U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,335 and DE-C 32 12 438, too, are not completely satisfactory with respect to reliable registration of fine, linear irregularities of the tape surface. These documents merely provide optical evidence of large, local layer defects on a coated tape, having, for example, a defect diameter greater than 0.5 mm.

Optical surface testing means for linearly moving, tape-like materials


A sliding-mode switching power supply (24) having N phases (28) and a method of operating the power supply (24) are provided. N switches (30) are coupled to a bipolar power source (22), with each switch (30) effecting one phase (28). An inductance (32) is coupled to each switch (30), and a capacitance (36) is coupled to the inductances (32). A load (26) is coupled across the capacitance (36). A monitor circuit (38) is coupled to the inductances (32) and the capacitance (36) and configured to monitor currents (IL) through the inductances (32) and/or a voltage (VC) across the capacitance (36). A sliding-surface generator (78) is coupled to the monitor circuit (38) and generates a single sliding surface (σ) for all phases (28). A constant-frequency control (104) forms a variable window (Δσ) for the sliding surface (σ). A switching circuit (138) switches the switches (30) at a switching frequency (fS) determined by the variable window (Δσ). The constant-frequency control (104) adjusts the variable window (Δσ) to maintain the switching frequency (fS) substantially constant.

Modern electronic equipment often requires low-ripple, high-current power sources at low to moderate voltages. Conventional switching power supplies can meet these requirements. In addition, switching power supplies are typically more efficient, lighter, and less expensive than their traditional analog counterparts, all of which are advantages in the modern world.
FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a single-phase system 10 utilizing a conventional buck-converter type of switching power supply 11. Power supply 11 incorporates a double-throw switch 12. Switch 12 couples to an inductance 13, and alternately connects a first node of inductance 13 to an input D-C power source 14 and a ground (common) each time switch 12 is toggled. A capacitance 15 and a load 16 are coupled in parallel between a second node of inductance 13 and ground.
Switch 12 is typically realized as a pair of MOSFETs or other active devices operating as double-throw switch 12, and makes a connection in either throw. For the sake of convention, however, this discussion will assume that switch 12 is "on" when it connects inductance 13 to power source 14 and "off" when it connects inductance 13 to ground.
When switch 12 is on, current flows into inductance 13. The energy contained in inductance 13 increases. Current flows from inductance 13 into capacitance 15 and load 16. The energy contained in capacitance 15 also increases. Load 16 receives its energy primarily from inductance 13.
When switch 12 is off, current flows from inductance 13 to ground. The energy contained in inductance 13 decreases. Current flows from capacitance 15 into load 16. Load 16 receives its energy primarily from capacitance 15.
A monitor circuit 17 monitors state variables, such as a voltage across capacitance 15 and a current through inductance 13, to determine when to toggle switch 12. A control circuit 18 controls the switching of switch 12 in response to the state variables monitored by monitor circuit 17.
FIG. 2 shows a simplified schematic diagram of an extension of single-phase system 10 into a multiphase system 10. The following discussion refers to FIG. 2 except as noted therein.
In FIG. 2, system 10 utilizes a multiphase version of switching power supply 11. Often, the high current and/or low ripple requirements of load 16 may be such as to exceed the capabilities of a single switch 12. In such situations, it is common to use N switches 12, where N is an integer greater than one. Each of the N switches 12 couples to its own one of N inductances 13, and connects that one inductance 13 to power source 14 when that switch 12 is on, and to ground when that switch 12 is off. A single power source 14 may be common to all N switches 12. Normally, all inductances 13 couple to a single capacitance 15 and load 16.
Multiphase power supply 11 has N phases 19, where each switch 12 effects one of the N phases 19. Each of the N phases 19 is interleaved with the others. The power dissipated by each switch 12 is a function of the duty cycle of that switch 12. The duty cycle of a given switch 12 is typically maintained at no more than 1/N with N interleaved phases 19. Putting it another way, a symmetrical multiphase system 10 would typically provide approximately N times the current of a single-phase system using the same components for switches 12.
In concept, therefore, there is a significant advantage to multiphase system 10 with a large number of phases 19. However, problems exists with such systems 10 in that, as the number of phases 19 increases, control circuit 18 increases in complexity in order to control and maintain the timing of phases 19. This increase in complexity is reflected in a decrease in reliability and an increase in cost.
One such problem is that each of the N phases 19 should ideally provide approximately the same current. The use of components having typical tolerances may nevertheless result in a wide difference in currents between phases 19, and may result in one switch 12 carrying excessive current. This necessitates that a typical control circuit 18 must manage the individual phase currents, as well as the collective current and the phase timing.
Conventionally, a linear controller is used for control circuit 18. This is a complex circuit requiring inputs from at least N+1 state variables. Moreover, the parameters of a linear controller are tightly matched with the parameters of inductances 13, capacitance 15, and load 16. This often necessitates a change in the controller itself whenever there is even a slight change in inductances 13, capacitance 15, and/or load 16. Consequently, costs associated with control circuit 18 when realized as a linear controller may initially be undesirably high and may be exacerbated by the inability of control circuit 18 to accommodate changes in inductances 13, capacitance 15, and/or load 16.
Control circuit 18 may be realized as a hysteretic controller. Conventional implementations of hysteretic controllers, however, are unsuitable for multiphase systems 10. Even in single-phase systems, hysteretic controllers characteristically exhibit poor performance. This poor performance is due, at least in part, to the inherent lag between the voltage across capacitance 15 and the current through inductances 13. In addition, the switching frequency of switch 12 is dependent upon load 16. That is, the switching frequency will vary as load 16 varies.
Control circuit 18 for system 10 may also be realized as a sliding-mode controller, which may also be viewed as a form of second-order hysteretic controller. Conventional implementations of sliding-mode controllers are also considered unsuitable for multiphase systems 10, but might offer improvements in performance over hysteretic controllers in single-phase systems. With conventional sliding-mode controllers, however, the switching frequency is still dependent upon load 16.
Moreover, simply scaling hysteretic or sliding-mode controllers to manage the phase currents of inductances 13, the collective current, and the phase timing for switches 12 in multiphase system 10 produces no significant improvement in complexity over liner controllers, and does not address the problems of reliability and cost.
Conventional hysteretic and sliding-mode control circuits 18 used in conventional power supplies 11 have switching frequencies that are a function of load 16. That means, as load 16 changes, the switching frequency changes. Since a ripple frequency across capacitance 15, and hence across load 16, is directly related to the switching frequency, changes in load 16 bring about changes in the ripple frequency. The ripple frequency present at load 16 may cause harmonic and/or intermodulation interference with whatever electronic device serves as load 16. Were the ripple frequency to be constant, then the ripple frequency may be chosen to exist in an area of the spectrum to which load 16 is insensitive. Alternatively, relatively simple filtration within load 16 may be used to suppress the effects of the ripple frequency. Allowing ripple frequency to vary makes it difficult to ignore or suppress these effects.
Another problem exists with conventional multiphase switching power supplies utilizing either a hysteretic or sliding-mode control circuit 18 in that, under certain conditions, sudden shifts in load 16 may cause a given switch 12 to enter a lockup condition, i.e., to remain on for an excessive length of time. Under such circumstances, that switch 12 is in danger of exceeding its tolerances and failing. Specifically, the current through that switch 12 for that excessive length of time may cause that switch 12 to exceed its power rating, and may thereby cause a catastrophic failure of that switch 12.
There is a need, therefore, for a switching power supply that has a control circuit that is simple, reliable, and inexpensive, requires a minimal number of state variables, maintains substantially equal current through all inductances, is substantially independent of the tolerances of its components, is immune to variations in the load, is tolerant of switch lockup conditions, and is suitable for either single-phase or multiphase systems.

Apparatus and method for fixed-frequency control in a switching power supply


A plate (20) for a heat transfer tube (4) made from a metal sheet includes a peripheral outer wall (10) and having at least one first cavity (24) and least one second cavity (26) respectively formed in the metal sheet. The first cavity (24) is in contact with the peripheral outer wall (10) and the second cavity (26) is arranged at a distance from the outer wall (10). A heat transfer tube (4) of a heat exchanger (1) includes a pair of such plates (20) and a heat exchanger (1) includes a plurality of such tubes (4).

This invention relates to a heat exchanger, and more specifically to a heat exchanger including a core of tubes for circulation of a heat transfer fluid, inserted in an assembly of aligned heat exchange inserts and a core of thermal storage material tanks inserted in the assembly of heat exchange inserts.
A heat exchanger commonly includes one or more rows of aligned tubes in which a heat transfer fluid circulates. The assembly of these tubes is generally designed referred to as a core. Such a heat exchanger is intended to enable a heat exchange between the heat transfer fluid circulating in the tubes and a fluid externally passing through the heat exchange device.
To improve this heat exchange, heat exchange inserts are arranged between the tubes and intended to increase the surface available for the heat exchange, and to disrupt the external fluid flow so as to enhance the performance of the heat exchanger.
Such a heat exchanger can, for example, be integrated in an air conditioning system of a motor vehicle. In this case, the external fluid passing through the device is generally air intended to be blown into the vehicle interior, and the heat transfer fluid is a coolant. The heat exchange is intended in this case to refresh the blowing air.
The circulation of fluid, inside the air conditioning system, is ensured by a compressor, generally powered directly by the engine of the motor vehicle.
Consequently, when the engine of the vehicle is stopped, the circulation of the fluid ceases, and the heat exchange between the air and the heat transfer fluid cannot take place. The Air blown into the vehicle interior is then no longer being refreshed. This situation is all the more problematic as recent systems, designed to reduce the fuel consumption of motor vehicles, automatically stop the engine when the vehicle is not moving. The vehicle interior is thus deprived of refreshed air.
It is known to combine, with a heat exchanger, thermal storage material tanks, in which the material stores heat or cold when the heat transfer fluid is circulating in the system, and restores them to the external fluid when the heat transfer fluid is no longer circulating. In the particular case described above, of an air conditioning system, it is known to provide the heat exchanger with cold storage material tanks, capable of storing cold when the engine is running and restoring it when the engine is stopped, but for the air to continue to be blown into the vehicle interior. Such heat exchangers are known in particular from documents FR 2 878 613 and FR 2 878 614.
However, these heat exchangers are not suitable for fluids circulating in tubes under high pressure, such as, for example, the working pressure of carbon dioxide.
One of the objectives of the invention is therefore to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages.


A hand held integral gauge for comparing automotive starters so that a replacement starter will accurately match the starter being replaced, to avoid poor engagement and premature failure of flywheels and starters. The gauge is compact, easy to use and manufacture, and consists of only three main parts. The gauge is mounted on the starter to be replaced to get initial measurement (in ten thousandths). The gauge is then mounted in the same way on the replacement starter to compare, thus determining an accurate fit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to accurately selecting replacement starters to prevent poor engagement and premature failures of starters and flywheels.
2. Description of Prior Art
Westling (U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,274) shows a gauge for attachment to internal combustion engines for determining proper positioning and selection of starter motor housings for an individual engine.
The gauge of the present invention is mounted on a starter motor and can be used at the source of the replacement starter, such as an automobile parts store, used parts dealer, or remanufacturing facility.
The gauge is used to discriminate between two like starters as measured by a calibrated indicator to prevent poor engagement and premature failure of flywheels and starters.
By measuring from the shaft and the flange mount of the starter, the gauge indicates in ten thousandths the distance between the top of the flange and the top of the armature shaft, thus making it possible to compare this distance with like starters.
It is an object of the invention to provide a gauge which can be used to make sure a rebuilt starter will fit the same as a properly fit old starter.
The gauge permits matching a starter housing of a core (an old starter off a car) to the housing on a replacement starter.

Comparison gauge for automotive starters


A method for local routing of calls coming from the switched telephone network in a cellular mobile network includes, following a procedure of locating/authenticating the mobile subscriber transmitter/receiver with a fixed radio locating FRLT terminal, forwarding to the FRLT personal communications service subscription data, such as a radio receiver/transmitter (RTR) confidential code and identification number, in attributing a direct inward dialling number (DID number), to the transmitter/receiver and, within the FRLT, forwarding the DID number and the RTR confidential code to a service access authentication center (SAAC). Upon receiving an incoming call from a subscriber telephone handset (STH), an interrogation message with the RTR telephone number is forwarded to the SAAC, and from the SAAC to the FRLT. Upon reception of the interrogation message, a call message containing at least the DID number is forwarded from the SAAC to the FRLT. A transmitter/receiver call procedure is thus initiated from the FRLT, and, upon the transmitter/receiver response, the communication between the STH and the transmitter/receiver is thus established.

Cellular telephone networks are being developed widely at the present time.
One reason for this upsurge is, in addition to the access for subscribers to this type of network, access in a substantially transparent way for subscribers of the public switched telephone network, and vice versa.
In contrast to the public switched telephone network, a cellular telephone network consists, as represented in FIG. 1a, of at least one radio transmitter/receiver RTR per mobile subscriber, linked by radio with a plurality of fixed radio terminals FRT.sub.1 to FRT.sub.3, interconnected in a tree structure by terminal connecting units TCU to a mobile subscriber authentication center PAC, the whole constituting the cellular telephone network proper.
The interconnection between the telephone handset STH of a subscriber of the public switched telephone network PSTN is provided by a unit for access to the mobile telephone network (PAU).
In present-day cellular telephone networks, such as the POINTEL cellular telephone network in Europe, a procedure or protocol for routing incoming calls onto the cellular telephone network, these calls originating from the public switched telephone network, performs specific operations, made necessary by reason of the configuration of the cellular telephone network itself.
In the first place, the abovementioned protocol conventionally requires a procedure for locating each mobile subscriber within the mobile telephone network.
It will be recalled, in connection with FIG. 1b, that such a procedure successively implies:
the sending by the mobile subscriber of a locating request 1; PA1 the forwarding 2 of this request to the mobile subscriber authentication center PAC, via the FRT, the TCU concerned and a dedicated transmission line network; PA1 the verification of access rights, then the memory storage, by the PAC, of the network address or identity of the FRT terminal identified as locating terminal, so as to allow the latter to route any subsequent incoming call to this mobile subscriber. PA1 1. The RTR is assumed to be located in the vicinity of the locating terminal FRT.sub.1. For example, the caller from the public switched telephone network dials the call number of the mobile called party, which is forwarded to the PAU constituting, within the PAU, a first half-call. PA1 2. The PAU, having available parameters for locating the called mobile subscriber, indicates to the PAC that a call request exists intended for this mobile subscriber, and communicates a number for calling the mobile subscriber to the mobile subscriber authentication center PAC. PA1 3. The PAC calls the TCU with the locating terminal FRT.sub.1 attached, indicating the call number. PA1 4. The TCU indicates to the locating terminal FRT.sub.1 that the transmitter/receiver RTR with the call number corresponding to this mobile subscriber is being sought. PA1 5. The locating terminal FRT.sub.1 embarks on a polling procedure in order, by sending call messages, to search for the transmitter/receiver RTR of this mobile subscriber on the radio link. After a set time, of the order of a few seconds, in the absence of a response from the mobile subscriber in question, the locating terminal FRT.sub.1 sends its connecting TCU a negative report. The procedure of calling the locating terminal constitutes a second half-call. PA1 6 and 6'. The connecting TCU sends each of the daughter terminals FRT.sub.2, FRT.sub.3, other than the locating terminal FRT.sub.1, simultaneously, a request to search for the transmitter/receiver RTR of the mobile subscriber at the corresponding call number. PA1 7. Each daughter terminal embarks on a polling procedure similar to that of stage 5 previously conducted by the locating terminal, each call constituting a second half-call. PA1 7'. When a daughter terminal FRT.sub.2, FRT.sub.3, has found the transmitter/receiver of the mobile subscriber in question, that is to say when a message acknowledging reception of the last call generated by the terminal is received back, this terminal rings the transmitter/receiver RTR so as to call the user mobile subscriber. PA1 8. When this user mobile subscriber picks up his transmitter/receiver RTR, the abovementioned daughter terminal, FRT.sub.2 for example, calls the PAU back via the connecting TCU and a dedicated telecommunications network, the PAU then joining the two half-calls together. PA1 implementing a procedure, from the mobile subscriber transmitter/receiver, for locating/authenticating this transmitter/receiver, via the mobile telephone network and the mobile subscriber authentication center, and, upon the mobile subscriber transmitter/receiver being located and authenticated by a fixed radio locating terminal, PA1 forwarding, from the mobile subscriber authentication center to the fixed radio locating terminal, the personal communication service subscription data, identification number and confidential code of the mobile subscriber transmitter/receiver, furthermore, within the fixed radio terminal, attributing to this mobile subscriber transmitter/receiver a free direct inward dialling number, PA1 forwarding, from the locating terminal to the service access authentication center, via the voice locating server, the direct inward dialling number attributed, the identification number and the confidential code, the address of the fixed radio locating terminal associated with the mobile subscriber transmitter/receiver being stored in memory within the service access authentication center, and upon an incoming call for the telephone call number of this mobile subscriber transmitter/receiver generated by this switched telephone handset to the service control point, PA1 forwarding, from the service control point to the service access authentication center, an interrogation message including at least the telephone number of the mobile subscriber transmitter/receiver; PA1 upon reception of this interrogation message forwarding, to the fixed locating terminal, from the service access authentication center, via the service control point, a call message containing at least the direct inward dialling number attributed; PA1 from the fixed radio locating terminal, implementing a procedure of calling the mobile subscriber transmitter/receiver, and, upon the mobile subscriber responding PA1 establishing communication with the telephone handset.
When such an incoming call appears, it is, by reference to FIG. 1a, handled by the unit for access to the mobile telephone network PAU, on the basis of a database giving information on all the daughter FRT terminals which are interconnected to the same terminal connecting unit, TCU.
Such a protocol for handling an incoming call is summarized below in connection with FIG. 1a and entails, by virtue of the sending of requests or successive messages where the dashed lines represent the transmission of messages by voice and the solid lines the transmission of messages by dedicated link, the following stages:
The abovementioned protocol exhibits drawbacks, relating essentially to the structure of the mobile radio telephone network itself. Among these drawbacks, it may firstly be mentioned that the daughter terminals are handled manually when one or more FRT terminals are added.
It may also be mentioned that the locating and the incoming calls in the mobile telephone network are handled by specific equipment units of the network.
Finally, mention may be made of the fact that the solutions employed in the mobile telephone network do not make it possible to avoid the effect known as the "trombone" effect, as illustrated in FIG. 1c. If, as represented in the abovementioned FIG. 1c, a mobile subscriber from a town X, Paris, on a visit to a town Y, Strasbourg, is temporarily located, by the previously described protocol, in the town Y, Strasbourg, an incoming call originating from a subscriber of the public switched telephone network, and intended for this mobile subscriber, will necessarily pass through the town X, Paris. This is the case especially for an incoming call originating from a subscriber of the public switched telephone network, located in the town Y, Strasbourg, for which such a call has to pass through the town X, Paris, needlessly using up resources of the switched telephone network. This gives rise to the notion of a "trombone" effect illustrating the outwards and return path of the call between towns Y, Strasbourg, and X, Paris.
Such a routing of the incoming telephone calls furthermore gives rise to increased costs for the users.

Protocol for local routing of calls coming from the switched telephone network in a cellular network


A switch having a non-blocking, self-routing switching fabric for routing packets from input sources to output destinations on virtual circuits specified by such packets, has a multicast mechanism for routing multicast packets from any one of the sources to copy groups composed of multiple ones of the destinations. This multicast mechanism includes a copy network that is coupled to receive the multicast packets from the switching fabric after the packets have made at least one pass through the switching fabric, and this copy network is configured for making separate copies of each of the packets for each member of the copy group to which the packet is addressed and for applying the copies to said switching fabric, such that the copies are rerouted by the switching fabric to the respective members of the specified copy group.

Research projects and systems products soon will have bandwidth, responsiveness, and/or real-time requirements that exceed the capabilities of existing LANs. For example, the ongoing transition from paper to electronic formats for documents ranging from personal papers to technical libraries is leading to the development of advanced electronic scanning and printing devices, which have bandwidth requirements that will continue to increase, not only as the speed and resolution of these devices increase, but as the color and gray scale capabilities of these devices are extended. Another example of the demand for improved LANs centers on the high-quality video imagery that is envisioned by some of the emerging collaborative technologies, such as the Xerox Media Space, which utilize live video links and meeting-support systems that are based upon wall-sized display systems. Furthermore, high performance computers are becoming affordable for use as computing resources, high-performance file servers, visualization workstations, etc., but the LANs that are now in use do not have the capacity that is needed to support these higher performance computers. The more demanding of the potential scientific computing and visualization applications require gigabit-per-second (Gbps) data transfer rates, but bandwidths in the 10-100 Mbps range are sufficient for the majority of the perceived applications. However, some of these applications, such as real-time video, will place a more continuous load on the network and require one-to-many ("multicasting") transmission in addition to point-point ("unicast") links. Therefore, a reasonable working assumption is that LANs soon will require aggregate bandwidths in the 10-40 Gbps range for supporting a more or less ordinary community of users simultaneously. Different user communities typically have different needs, and the requirements of any given user community generally expand over time, so there is a need for a high performance LAN that scales gracefully and economically to satisfy the requirements of its user community.
Known FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) networks fail to meet either the peak or aggregate bandwidth requirements of the LAN that this invention envisions. Furthermore, many of the other recently developed technologies, such as those that are based upon crossbar switches or high-speed broadcast busses, appear to fall short of satisfying the multicast, broadcast and/or affordability requirements of the proposed LAN.

Copy network providing multicast capabilities in a broadband ISDN fast packet switch suitable for use in a local area network


Provided are a foil for a cathode of a capacitor, which can secure both a high capacitance and a high strength, and a manufacturing method thereof. The foil for a cathode of a capacitor includes an aluminum foil and a carbon-containing layer formed on a surface of the aluminum foil. An interposition layer containing aluminum and carbon is formed between the aluminum foil and the carbon-containing layer. The manufacturing method of a foil for a cathode of a capacitor includes a step of arranging an aluminum foil in a space containing a hydrocarbon-containing substance and a step of heating the aluminum foil.

A capacitor includes two electrodes: an anode and a cathode. As a material of the anode, there is used a valve metal such as aluminum or tantalum which allows an insulating oxide film to be generated on a surface. As a material of the cathode, there is used any of an electrolytic solution, an inorganic semiconductor, an organic conductive material and a metal thin film. When the material of the cathode is an electrolytic solution, an aluminum foil having an enlarged surface area is frequently used for a cathode terminal. An aluminum foil of this type is called an electrolytic capacitor cathode aluminum foil. The surface area of the cathode aluminum foil is enlarged to increase the capacitance of a capacitor.
A manufacturing process of a capacitor involves a step of cutting a cathode aluminum foil supplied in the form of a coil into a predetermined width, a step of coiling the slit coil-shaped cathode aluminum foil which has been cut, and a step of coiling the cathode aluminum foil in order to finally constitute a cylindrical capacitor or a step of cutting the cathode aluminum foil in order to constitute a laminate-type capacitor.
In order to improve productivity in these steps, it is required to raise the rate of coiling the cathode aluminum foil. To meet this demand, it is necessary to improve the mechanical strength of the cathode aluminum foil, that is, the tensile strength of the cathode aluminum foil.
As mentioned above, the cathode aluminum foil requires a high tensile strength as well as a high capacitance as necessary requirements.
For increasing the capacitance of the cathode aluminum foil, there is generally adopted a method of enlarging the surface area of the aluminum foil by etching. The etching, however, significantly reduces the tensile strength of the aluminum foil.
There is a current need for developing a smaller capacitor along with the development of small-sized electric apparatuses. To make a capacitor small, the thickness of the cathode aluminum foil must be made more small. If the thickness of the aluminum foil is made thin, the strength of the aluminum foil is relatively dropped.
Also, as the capacitor cathode aluminum foil, one having an aluminum purity of about 99.0 to 99.95% by mass is usually used to control the reaction when carrying out etching to enlarge the surface area of the aluminum foil. The purity (base purity) of aluminum herein means a value obtained by subtracting the content of major three elements, i.e., iron, silicon and copper, included in the aluminum foil from 100%.
In this situation, there is proposed a manufacturing method for improving the capacitance and strength of an electrolytic capacitor cathode aluminum foil in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 05-247609. In this manufacturing method of the electrolytic capacitor cathode aluminum foil, an aluminum material having a chemical composition in which the purity of aluminum is 99.8% or more, the contents of Fe and Si are respectively limited to 0.05% or less and the content of Cu is limited to 0.005% or less and the content of Mg and the content of Zn are adjusted so as to satisfy a predetermined equation, is subjected to soaking treatment at 540° C. or less, hot-rolled and then subjected to coiling which is finished at a temperature of 300° C. or less, and is finally subjected to cold rolling carried out at a working ratio of 95% or more to make the product foil have the specified thickness. This aluminum foil is etched to enlarge the surface area.
However, even if the foregoing manufacturing method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 05-247609 is used, it is limited in its capability of improving the capacitance of a capacitor without any reduction in tensile strength as to the requirements satisfied by the capacitor cathode aluminum foil.

Foil for negative electrode of capacitor and process for producing the same