A connection device for connecting a ventilating line to an intake air flow guide of an internal combustion engine, wherein the connection device has a non-return valve for preventing a flow from the intake air flow guide into the ventilating line. The connection device has at least one hole which is arranged upstream of the non-return valve and connects an interior chamber of the connection device to a surrounding area of the connection device.

The present invention relates to a ventilation device for an internal combustion engine having a first connection device for direct or indirect connection to a crankcase, a second connection device for connection to a component which guides the supply air flow and a ventilation line which connects the first connection device to the second connection device.
Such ventilation devices are already known in the prior art and are used, for example, in internal combustion engines. Such internal combustion engines are used, for example, in motor vehicles, working machines, aircraft or similar piston-driven applications. In piston-driven internal combustion engines, it is necessary to discharge gas, which is produced during the combustion process and which accumulates as a result of leaks at the piston in a crankcase, via a ventilation device into the intake region of the internal combustion engine. This gas which is often also known as "blow-by-gas" or combustion gas must be directed out of the crankcase of the engine in order to prevent a pressure build-up in the crankcase. In this instance, it is not possible to discharge the unprocessed gas directly into the environment. Instead, the gas must be directed out of the crankcase of the engine in order to be subjected to a selective reprocessing operation.
Such a reprocessing operation is often configured in such a manner that the combustion gas which is discharged from the crankcase is supplied for repeated combustion in the combustion chamber. To this end, it is conventional to discharge the gas via a ventilation device. In the case of a supercharged internal combustion engine, a plurality of ventilation devices are generally required in order, both in the non-supercharged engine operating state, in which there is a reduced pressure applied between the throttle valve and the combustion chamber, and in the supercharged engine operating state, in which there is excess pressure applied between the throttle valve and the combustion chamber, to ensure a ventilation of the crankcase. The ventilation device for the non-supercharged engine operating state directs the combustion gas between the throttle valve and combustion chamber into the supply air flow. The ventilation device for the supercharged engine operating state directs the combustion gas upstream of the compressor into the supply air flow. The ventilation lines which belong to these ventilation devices are to this end connected by means of a first connection device in technical guiding terms directly or indirectly to the crankcase and by means of a second connection device connected in technical guiding terms to a component which guides the supply air flow (also referred to as the supply air flow guide) in order to direct the combustion gas to the component which guides the supply air flow, where it is introduced into a supply air flow of the internal combustion engine and is mixed therewith.
Furthermore, in specific countries, it may be necessary, using a diagnostic device, also referred to as on-board diagnostics (OBD), which is connected to a diagnostic interface, to verify whether the ventilation device is operating correctly. To this end, the vehicle must have a self-diagnostic device by means of which the correct function of the ventilation device for the internal combustion engine and consequently the correct return of the gases which have accumulated in the crankcase into the supply air flow guide of the internal combustion engine can be monitored. A corresponding device for carrying out this diagnosis by monitoring the reduced pressure in a ventilation device is known from DE 10 2016 201 589 B3. Using this, the complete space which is connected in technical guiding terms can be monitored. In the case of a supercharged internal combustion engine, the ventilation devices have to be provided with non-return valves in order to prevent the supply air flow from being directed via the ventilation device. The space which can be diagnosed by monitoring the reduced pressure terminates at these non-return valves since the reduced pressure continues only as far as these valves. In order to enable the diagnosis of a ventilation device up to the component which guides the supply air flow, it is therefore necessary to ensure that the non-return valve is located on the component which guides the supply air flow.
It is further known that the gases which are intended to be discharged from the crankcase have an occasionally high proportion of moisture. Depending on the ambient temperature and engine operating state, therefore, it may be necessary to heat a ventilation device in order, for example, in winter during a cold start phase to prevent freezing, in particular of the connection device, to the component which guides the supply air flow. Particularly at risk of freezing are any non-return valves which are contained in the ventilation device. If the non-return valve is located as described above on the component which guides the supply air flow, a heating accordingly has to be carried out at this location.
An object of the present invention is to provide a solution which is as simple and reliable as possible and in particular to provide a connection device which can be adapted to different requirements and installed in the vehicle in the simplest manner possible.
These objectives are achieved with a connection device according to the features of the independent claims. Other advantageous embodiments of the invention are set out in the dependent claims. It should be noted that the features set out individually in the dependent patent claims can be combined with each other in any technologically advantageous manner and define other embodiments of the invention.
Furthermore, the features set out in the patent claims are specified and explained in greater detail in the description, wherein additional preferred embodiments of the invention are set out.
There is intended to be described herein a connection device for connecting a ventilation line to a supply air flow guide of an internal combustion engine, wherein the connection device has a non-return valve for preventing a flow from the supply air flow guide into the ventilation line, wherein the connection device further has at least one hole which is arranged upstream of the non-return valve and which connects an inner space of the connection device to an environment of the connection device.
The connection device is as described suitable for connecting a ventilation line to a supply air flow guide. The supply air flow guide is a supply line by means of which air (in particular clean air) is supplied to the combustion chambers of an internal combustion engine. The connection device is a type of plug connector, which forms the end of the ventilation line and which can be inserted into a corresponding receiving member or into a corresponding counter-piece on the supply air flow guide. Such a counter-piece for the connection device is also referred to below as a supply air flow guide connection.
The term "inner space" describes the inner workings of the connection device, in which the ventilation line opens and through which the gas which flows through the ventilation line flows. The term "environment" refers to an outer region (which is arranged at the outer side of an outer face of the connection device).
The present connection device solves the described problems in that this device is constructed by the interface which can be diagnosed using the methodology in DE 10 2016 201 589 B3. To this end, the portion of the connection device which belongs to the ventilation line is provided with one or more apertures (the holes mentioned), whereby a defined leak is brought about and can be diagnosed. As a result of this leak, it can be determined that the connection device is not correctly secured in the air flow connection. Preferably, the connection device and the supply air flow guide connection are constructed in such a manner that the hole is closed when the connection device is correctly secured to the air flow connection. The hole thus forms a defined leakage location. This leakage location can be closed only by the ventilation line being joined to the corresponding counter-piece (the air flow guide connection) of the respective connection device.
It is consequently ensured that any separation of the connection device is recognized so that it can be proven that the ventilation line is located on the corresponding counter-piece of the respective connection device. The present invention is therefore quite particularly advantageous in that it is possible to integrate a non-return valve in the ventilation line instead of in a component which leads to the supply air flow. It is further advantageous that consequently the heating of the connection device and the non-return valve may also be a component of the ventilation line. Variants of the ventilation device with/without a non-return valve or with/without heating can consequently be constituted purely via the ventilation line and have no influence on the counter-piece of the respective connection device.
The connection device and the ventilation line preferably form together a type of ventilation device which serves, for example, to ventilate a crankcase of an internal combustion engine or a tank. Preferably, the ventilation device also comprises another connection device which is located at another end of the ventilation line which is opposite the connection device. This additional connection device serves to connect the ventilation line of the ventilation device to the described crankcase or to the described tank.
The ventilation device from the first connection device as far as the second connection device preferably forms a sub-assembly. When the ventilation device is installed, the first connection device, the second connection device or the ventilation device do not have to be assembled with each other, but instead are provided in a pre-assembled state. In preferred construction variants, a destruction-free disassembly of the ventilation device is not possible, for example, since the ventilation line and the connection devices are cast with each other or adhesively bonded.
With the integration of the interface in the ventilation line, the final assembly is additionally simplified since no further actions are required to assemble the interface and ventilation line. The susceptibility to failure in the context of assembly and also the complexity of the goods logistics are thereby considerably reduced. Furthermore, an adaptation of the ventilation line can be carried out by only the portion of the interface which is integrated in the ventilation line being adapted. The term "integrated" is intended to be understood to mean in this context that the interface is spatially at least for the most part arranged within the ventilation line and is surrounded thereby.
It is particularly advantageous for a first heating device to be integrated in the connection device.
It is further advantageous for the first heating device to be constructed as an electrical heating element.
As has already been described above, a heating unit serves to regularly heat the non-return valve in the connection device in order to prevent ice forming on the non-return valve even in unfavorable operating phases of the combustion engine in this regard.
It is further advantageous for the non-return valve to be arranged directly downstream of a hole.
It is also advantageous for there to be arranged on an outer face of the connection device at least one sealing means, which seals the hole when the first connection device is connected to a supply air flow guide connection on a supply air flow guide.
Such a sealing means corresponds in particular to a sealed region in a clean air line connection.
Such a sealing agent may, for example, comprise grooves and O-rings or sealing lips which are arranged on the outer periphery and which rest on the sealed region on the supply air flow guide connection in order to form a sealed closure of the hole and are arranged in an opening region of the ventilation line at the first interface. It is thereby possible to integrate the diagnosable interface in the ventilation line in a fluid-tight manner. The sealing system may in this instance, for example, be configured in such a manner that it is subsequently inserted in a particularly simple manner into the ventilation line together with the diagnosable interface. For example, during production of the ventilation line, the grooves may also be directly injection-molded.
Preferably, there are provided on the connection device (on an outer peripheral face) two peripheral O-rings which seal within the clean air line connection. Between the two O-rings, a plurality of holes are preferably circumferentially arranged. For example, 2, 4 or six holes may be arranged circumferentially.
A supply air flow guide for an internal combustion engine having a supply air flow guide connection for a connection device having a ventilation line according to one of the preceding claims is also intended to be described here.
The supply air flow guide having the supply air flow guide connection is configured to cooperate with the ventilation device or the connection device for the ventilation device in order to enable a secure and gas-tight introduction of gas from the ventilation device into the supply air flow guide.
It is advantageous for there to be provided on the supply air flow guide connection a sealed region, by means of which the at least one hole in the connection device is sealed.
This sealed region may, for example, be formed as a cylindrical inner face of the clean air line connection against which at least one O-ring of the first connection device abuts for sealing.
The sealing or the sealed region ensures that the hole no longer connects the inner space to the environment. As soon as the connection device is correctly connected to the supply air flow guide connection, the environment and the inner space are separated from each other or no longer connected.
It is further advantageous for the supply air flow guide connection to have at least one stop for a non-return valve, wherein the non-return valve is provided in the first connection device.
The stop for the non-return valve is a passive component which can readily be provided in the clean air line connection and which is also not disruptive at that location when a connection device without a corresponding non-return valve is connected to a structurally identical, clean air guide. The stop is then simply non-operational.
A motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a ventilation line having a described connection device are further intended to be described herein.
The hole in the connection device forms (preferably together with a pressure sensor on the ventilation line) a diagnosable interface which can be evaluated, for example, by an on-board diagnostic system of a motor vehicle in order to determine whether the connection device is correctly secured to a supply air flow guide connection.
The diagnosable interface is preferably formed by the different components explained below. The specific feature of the device is that the diagnosable interface is completely a component of the ventilation device. It is in particular formed only by components which are arranged between the first connection device and the second connection device on a ventilation line or on a ventilation device. By the diagnosable interface being integrated in the ventilation line, at least a first or a second connection device of the ventilation line can be configured in a particularly simple manner. In particular, adaptations to the diagnosable interface have to be carried out (only) in the ventilation device. Preferably, the first connection device which is connected to the supply air flow guide is configured in such a manner that the components which are particularly relevant to the diagnosable interface are arranged at this location. This means that the diagnosable interface is preferably integrated in the first connection device. It is consequently no longer necessary to arrange the diagnosis interface in the supply air flow guide or in the structural housing space thereof or in a clean air line connection which is arranged on the supply air flow guide for the first connection device. Instead, the diagnosis interface can advantageously be formed by the construction of the connection device. Different variants of the ventilation device which are required during assembly in an internal combustion engine and in particular different variants of the supply air flow guide can thereby be dispensed with. Different variants of the ventilation line and the supply air flow line which can be dispensed with are in particular those with or without interfaces for OBD devices. The supply air flow guide connection for the first connection device on the supply air flow guide can always remain unchanged. Only the first connection device which is a component of the ventilation line or which is connected to the ventilation line and not to the supply air flow line is varied in this instance. This is carried out by selectively providing at this location an adapted first connection device which, for example, may optionally be constructed with or without a diagnosable OBD interface.
Finally, the ventilation device according to the invention may advantageously be used in connection with internal combustion engines and in particular with the internal combustion engines used in motor vehicles.
The invention and the technical background are explained in greater detail below with reference to the Figures. It should be noted that the Figures illustrate particularly preferred construction variants of the invention, but are not limited thereto.

Diagnosable connector device of a ventilating device for an internal combustion engine

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A fluid pump, in particular a water pump, has a pump housing (11) that surrounds a pump wheel and a motor housing, connected to the pump housing, in which an electric motor (21) driving the pump wheel is received along with a stator (22) and rotor. For the sake of sealing off the pump from the escape of fluid and sealing off the motor housing from the penetration of fluid, with only one seal, and with assembly of the fluid pump without additional connecting elements, the pump housing (11) has a lower housing part (12) with an annular rib (14) protruding radially outward, and an upper housing part (13) slipped onto the lower housing part (12). Between the free annular face end of the upper housing part (13) and the annular rib (14), there is a sealing ring (15). The motor housing is embodied as a housing pot (26), which with a gripping edge (28) fits over the annular rib (14), sealing ring (15), and part of the upper housing part (13), and is locked to the upper housing part (13), producing an axial clamping force (FIG. 3).

The invention is based on a fluid pump, in particular a water pump.
In such fluid pumps, there is a need to seal off the pump housing from the escape of fluid and to seal off the motor housing from the penetration of fluid, such as splashing water, from the outside. To that end, it is known, after the installation of the electric motor, to seal off the motor housing in a manner proof against splashing water with a housing cap, and to tightly cover the pump housing against the escape of fluid by means of a cap flange and a sealing inlay. The pressure force between the cap flange and the pump housing required for the tight connection is achieved by screw connections, which are offset from one another by the same circumferential angles. The motor housing is secured to the cap flange, and the power takeoff shaft of the electric motor is passed through the cap flange in a sealed fashion and in the interior of the pump housing receives the pump wheel in a manner fixed against relative rotation.


The present invention provides an “in vivo and in vitro real-time bioluminescence imaging means,” which can transmit a detection signal promptly in response to an external signal, while taking advantage of a single-molecule-format luminescent probe as a bioluminescent means.

The realm of nature in which we are dwelling is inhabited by innumerable higher and lower organisms, and these organisms are maintaining their life phenomena on the basis of common molecular mechanisms such as expression of proteins by means of DNAs in response to external stimuli.
In both eukaryotic cells and prokaryotic cells, rapidly responding to the temperature, signal transducers, the presence or absence of nutrients, and the like in the breeding environment is directly related to the matter of life and death of the organism. Therefore, in regard to nutrition, energy control, propagation, and signal transduction of sensory organs such as in visual and auditory senses, living cells completes relevant signal transduction in the time ranging from a few milliseconds to minutes.
Various techniques have been developed hitherto as the means to examine such life phenomena, and some of them have already been commercialized. In recent studies conducted in a wide range of life science fields, molecular imaging within individual cells and animals has become the main trend of research for certain life phenomena (Massoud, T. F. and Gambhir, S. S. Genes & Development, 2003, 17, 545-580). In particular, research and development on bioanalysis utilizing fluorescent dye proteins such as green fluorescent protein (GFP), is becoming popular, and a technology of visualizing protein-protein interactions, or degrees of activity of proteins in a signal transduction system, particularly using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET; a phenomenon in which between two fluorescent molecules, the excitation energy of one fluorescent molecule is transferred to the other fluorescent molecule to emit fluorescence), namely, so-called imaging technology is on the focus of interest. On the other hand, a molecular imaging technology utilizing lighting enzymes (LE) such as firefly luciferase (FLuc) is also attracting high attention over the world, and the research and development thereof is in intense competition.
These molecular imaging techniques may be classified by the approximate signal transduction time taken from the in vivo generation of signals to the measurement of the signals, as follows.
The molecular imaging technique requiring the longest time may be exemplified by a reporter gene assay. In this assay, the intensity, property and the like of the initial exogenous stimulators can be determined, on the basis of the intensity of luminescence or fluorescence of a reporter protein which is expressed as a result of the activation of transcription factors by exogenous stimulators, or the like, as an index. This technique requires 24 hours on the average until the amount of the reporter protein is sufficiently accumulated. This technique has been widely used in the investigation of the activity of a steroid or a chemical substance.
As a molecular imaging technique requiring the second longest time, a technique based on protein splicing was introduced (Kim, S. B., Ozawa, T., Watanabe, S., Umezawa, Y. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 2004, 101, 11542-11547). Protein splicing means a self-catalytic splicing reaction occurring between a certain protein sequence and another protein sequence. A protein which will serve as a reporter, is bisected (N-terminal side and C-terminal side) beforehand, and the bisected fragments are respectively linked to both termini of a splicing protein. And then, the fragments may be spliced to restore a full reporter protein in response to an appropriate exogenous stimulator. The resulting recovery of luminescence or fluorescence intensities were taken as an index of the intensity of the initial external stimulator. This technique requires 2 hours at the lower limit, since sufficient time is needed for the reaction between the two fragmentized protein fragments. This technique is being effectively used for imaging the intracellular trafficking of proteins, and the like.
As a molecular imaging technique requiring the third longest time, a protein self-complementation method may be mentioned. This technique makes use of an increment of the intensity of luminescence or fluorescence generated when bisected fragments of a reporter protein are approximated to recover the activity, as the signal for analysis. For instance, in order to investigate the presence or absence of certain target protein-protein interaction, the target proteins are each linked with one of the bisected fragments of a reporter protein. Later, the reporter protein fragments are sufficiently approximated only when the two target proteins interact in response to an exogenous signal. The intensity of luminescence or fluorescence of the reconstituted reporter protein triggered by the binding between the two aimed proteins as a result is taken as an index, to evaluate the intensity of the original external signal (two-molecule-format probe: WO 2002/008766, WO 2004/104222, and Kim, S. B., Awais, M., Sato, M., Umezawa, Y., and Tao, H. Anal. Chem. 2007, 79, 1874-1880). This technique is used to evaluate the activity of a steroid or a chemical substance, and thus requires a measurement time of about 20 minutes after steroid stimulation. Recently, the inventors of the present invention have developed a method of bioimaging an intramoleculer protein-protein interaction inside a single molecule, based on the principle of self-complementation of a LE, and filed a patent application on the method (Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-005144). The feature of this technique is to integrate all the components for ligand-sensing and light emission in a single molecule, and thus enable to detect a conformation change of the ligand recognition protein induced by a ligand as one-dimensional luminescence intensity mode. Moreover, as an advanced form of the previous technique, the inventors of the present invention have further developed a technique for discriminating multiple activities of a single ligand in respectively different colors (green and red), and filed a patent application on the technique (Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-202308).
As a molecular imaging method which can be performed in a time shorter than this, there is a method based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). In this technique, the fluorescence energy transfer occurring between two fluorescent dye proteins in proximity can be used as an index to measure the degree of the interaction between the two proteins (JP-A No. 2002-017359 and JP-A No. 2007-49943). The inventors of the present invention suggest a probe capable of visualizing the binding of cGMP with its target molecule (cGMP-binding protein) based on the FRET phenomenon (JP-A No. 2002-017359), or a probe capable of similarly visualizing IP3 using the FRET phenomenon (JP-ANo. 2007-49943). This technique can achieve fluorescence imaging of the molecular phenomena in a single cell on a real-time basis. This technique provides the fastest imaging means among those that have been developed thus far.
The probes for detecting target ligands using the FRET phenomenon (JP-ANo. 2002-017359, JP-ANO. 2007-49943, JP-A NO. 2004-325253, Awais, M.; Sato, M.; Lee, X. F.; Umezawa, Y. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 2707-2712, and Schaufele, F.; Carbonell, X.; Guerbadot, M.; Borngraeber, S.; Chapman, M. S.; Ma, A. A.; Miner, J. N.; Diamond, M. I. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2005, 102, 9802-9807) are excellent in that, as described above, they are capable of detecting ligands in short times, and also capable of detecting agonists and antagonists each distinctively. However, the fluorescent probes have high background fluorescence due to autofluorescence, and require a high sensitivity fluorescence microscope, a precision filtering apparatus and a trained technician to measure the energy transfer of two chromophores with high precision. Also, since excitation by short wavelength light from an external source is required, it has been very difficult to perform bioanalysis in living subjects where the absorption of short wavelength light is significant.
In addition to the above-described technologies, synthetic fluorescent dye reagents such as Fura and Indo-1, have been introduced to employ intracellular molecular imaging (Schlegel, S., Steen, M., Guse, A. H. Mol. MED. 2006, 12, S23-S23 (Suppl. 1)), but these synthetic substances have problems in that they cause cytotoxicity, accumulation in some parts of cells, and lack selectivity to target ligands.
On the other hand, bioluminescence imaging is advantageous compared with fluorescence, in that:
(1) the background emission is low;
(2) no excitation by an external light is required;
(3) the apparatus is very simple, compact, and easy to be miniaturized;
(4) the emission light has excellent tissue permeability and thus is appropriate for in vivo imaging; and the like.
For this reason, the inventors of the present invention have put an effort in developing a molecular imaging probe utilizing bioluminescence. In the case of the conventional detection method for protein-protein interaction based on protein splicing or self-complementation, which method utilizes the restorability of a partitioned reporter molecule (WO 2002/008766, WO2004/104222, and Kim, S. B., Ozawa, T., Watanabe, S., Umezawa, Y. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 2004, 101, 11542-11547), since the respective split reporter molecules are introduced into the cells as separate probe components (two-molecule-format probe), there occurs an improper stoichiometry because the respective expression levels of the probe components differ from each other. It was also strongly feared that such stoichiometric variance causes inefficiency of the probe in sensing a ligand.
Therefore, the inventors of the present invention recently developed a single-molecule-format luminescent probe comprising excellent analytical performance, in which all of the elements necessary for the ligand sensing and light emission are integrated in a single molecule (Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2007-202308 and 2007-005144). However, the probe takes approximately 10 minutes to 20 minutes from the recognition of a ligand to the light emission. The large molecular weight (92 kD) of the conventional probes imposes a burden on the cells, and thus is not adequate to trace the molecular phenomena which take short time, in the living cells.
That is, in the case of conventional bioluminescence imaging probes, no matter whether a single-molecule-format or a two-molecule-format, the molecular weights of the probes are ever heavy because a ligand recognition domain inherent to a ligand-specific receptor is simply incorporated into the probe, and luminescent enzymes with a heavy molecular weight have been used. Furthermore, the target ligand must permeate the cell membrane and reach the probe in the cytoplasm, but in the case of insulin, various growth hormones, cytokines and the like, since these molecules originally cannot permeate the cell membrane, they cannot be detected with conventional probes expressed within the cells. Even in the case of ligands which are capable of permeating the cell membrane, since the step of membrane permeation is the rate-limiting step, thus requiring a measurement time of about several ten minutes, the real time observation of various life phenomena in a cell cannot be made by any conventional means.
In order to observe life phenomena in a living cell on a real-time basis, it is most effective to carry out molecular imaging of the signal transduction of second messengers inside the living cell, and a large number of analytic technologies have been developed and proposed in relation to the molecular imaging of second messengers (particularly, calcium ions) (JP-A No. 2007-49943 and Miyawaki A., Llopsis J., Heim R., McCaffery J. M., Adams J. A., Ikura M., Tsien R. Y. Nature, 1997, 388 (6645), 882-887).
In particular, a calcium sensor emitting fluorescence based on the above-discussed principle of FRET, and includes a protein containing calmodulin, which is a calcium recognition protein, and a peptide capable of binding to calcium ion-bound calmodulin (M13), genetic mutants of GFP such as cyan fluorescent protein (CFP), yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) linked to the two termini of calmodulin, as well as probes ameliorated therefrom are widely used as probes which can detect calcium ions serving as a second messenger in living cells, on a real-time basis. However, fluorescent proteins also have problems that the proteins are generally sensitively to pH, show high background fluorescence due to autofluorescence, and have larger molecular weights because two fluorescent proteins are linked to both termini of the target protein. Moreover, there is also a problem in terms of use, such as that a large instrumentation is required to detect fluorescence (JP-A No. 2007-49943).
A fluorescent molecular probe for detecting a second messenger, which probe utilizes bisected fragments of a single GFP molecule, has also been developed (Ozawa, T., Natori, Y., Sato, M., Umezawa, Y. Nat. Methods, 2007, 4(5): 413-419). However, the probe has the same intrinsic limitations of general fluorescent probes such as that due to the poor reversibility, when bisected GFP fragments are re-bound, the probe becomes inadequate for repeated use, and that GFP requires a long time (about 6 hours) for protein folding, and is prone to undergo misfolding.

Single molecule-format real-time bioluminescence imaging probe

Abstract: The present invention is characterized by using, as a single-molecule-format luminescent probe utilizing the increase and decrease of a second messenger level as an index, a fusion protein including a single-chain protein containing a second messenger recognition protein and optionally a peptide which is capable of binding with the protein, and linked respectively to the N-terminus and the C-terminus thereto, an N-terminal fragment (N-LE) and a C-terminal fragment (C-LE) generated by dissecting a luminescent enzyme (LE). A single-molecule-format luminescent probe could be provided, which makes it possible to observe light emission (extinction) in vivo as well as in vitro, as a result of a conformational change of the second messenger recognition protein induced by the binding (unbinding) with a second messenger, and the subsequent association or dissociation between the N-LE and the C-LE flanked at both termini of the recognition protein.

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology


A sample/trial size package for cosmetic stick-form products, such as deodorants. The package is especially adapted for use with the fill/invert method of manufacture. The product is secured within the package in a fixed position throughout its use. The package has a base for holding the product. The base comprises an enclosed body, a closed bottom and an open top. The base further includes a stalk axially oriented within it. The stalk defines a trough along the inside perimeter of the base between the stalk and the body. Lastly, the package has a cap for sealing the open top of the base when the package is not in use.

In the design and manufacture of deodorant or antiperspirant stick products it is preferable that the top of the stick have a convex contour and that its cross-sectional shape be circular or oval. The convex shape is desired so that the product is comfortable to apply upon its first application and has a good appearance to the consumer. The oval cross-section makes the application more efficient by requiring a minimum number of strokes to apply the product evenly. Such packages are typically equipped with an elevator screw dispensing system wherein an elevator platform is disposed within the package at its bottom end and has a spindle in threaded engagement therewith. A hand wheel to turn the spindle is located outside the bottom of the package for use by the consumer in advancing and retracting the product.
One method of manufacturing such products is known as the bottom fill method. The desired shape of the stick product is generally achieved by providing a package having an oval or circular cross-section and a cap, factory seal or puck of the same cross-section on the top of the package. The cap/puck/seal has a smooth concave inner surface which is adapted to function as a mold in forming the top of the stick. The product is poured into the package in its molten state through the bottom. While the product is still in the molten or liquid form the elevator/screw system is inserted into the package and the bottom of the container is sealed. The product and package are then allowed to cool whereby the shape of the package and the cap cause the product to take on the desired appearance. An example of a cosmetic stick-type dispensing package especially adapted for use with the bottom fill manufacturing method can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,158 issued to Woodruff et al. on Jan. 18, 1983.
Another and more preferable method used to manufacture stick-type cosmetic products is known as the fill/invert method. This method produces a product with the desired shape by providing a package having an oval or circular cross-section but with a closed bottom. The package has the elevator/screw dispensing system disposed therein before filling. The product is poured into the package through the top and the top of the package is then sealed with a factory seal or a puck having a smooth concave inner surface for molding the end of the stick. The package is thereafter inverted so that some of the molten product flows from the bottom of the package to the top to fill the outage volume, which is the volume intermediate the original fill line and the factory seal or puck. The package is then kept in this position during cooling. An example of a package especially adapted for use with the fill/invert manufacturing process is described in co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 760,661 filed in the names of Dornbusch et al. on Sep. 16, 1991 the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Recently, there has been a desire to make a sample/trial size or limited use package for cosmetic stick form products. A limited use, sample size or trial size package is typically one that is designed for less than 25 applications of product. One method of of producing such packages is to make a smaller size version of either of the packages described above. However, the elevator/screw dispensing systems present in such packages make this impractical as it would cause the sample size package to have too many parts and, therefore, be too expensive. Because limited use sample or trial size packages are often made available to the consumer at little or no cost it is preferable to produce them relatively cheaply. Therefore, there has been a desire to make a low cost sample size package for a cosmetic stick form product that does not need an elevator screw dispensing system or any type of advancing means for the product within the package.
Cosmetic stick form packages have been made in the past that do not require an advancing means for the product within the package. An example of such a package is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,210 issued to Barrish et al. oil Mar. 1, 1988. This reference discloses a solid personal care product that is packaged in a container having a cover and a handle. All of the product extends above the handle and the cap is big enough to cover all of the product when the package is not in use. Therefore, this package requires no advancing means. Another package similar to Barish et al. that requires no advancing means is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,557 issued to Hayes on Nov. 25, 1980. However, both of the packages disclosed in the above mentioned references are bottom fill packages which require that the bottom of the package be sealed after filling. This procedure would add expense to a sample size product.
Furthermore, because the cosmetic products in such packages are often composed of a large proportion of volatile materials such as alcohol, it is necessary to seal the package thoroughly prior to use by consumers in order to prevent the escape of these materials during manufacture, shipment and storage. When the package is not effectively sealed, volatiles evaporate and the product shrinks losing its shape, fragrance and aesthetic appearance. The major problem of sealing the bottom fill packages has been to provide an effective sealing means on the bottom of the package after the package has been filled. In bottom fill packages, the bottom wall is not integral with the package but must be attached after filling. The base must be sealed to the side walls in order to prevent the escape of volatiles therefrom. Because the fill/invert packages have the bottom wall integral with the base of the package to provide better sealing, it is the preferred method for manufacturing cosmetic stick-form products.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a low cost limited use package for a cosmetic stick form product that is adapted for use with the fill/invert process of manufacture.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a package that requires no advancing means within the product in order to eliminate the costs associated therewith.
The aforementioned and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent hereinafter.

Low cost fill/invert sample size package for a cosmetic stick form product


A data transfer control device includes a PATA I/F connected to a PATA bus, an SATA I/F connected to an SATA bus, and a sequence controller that controls a transfer sequence. The PATA I/F includes a task file register (TFR). The sequence controller suspends transmission of a register FIS corresponding to an ATA packet command issued by a host to a device, and performs a dummy setting that causes the host to issue an ATAPI packet command using the TFR. The sequence controller transmits the register FIS corresponding to the ATA packet command to the device after the host has issued the ATAPI packet command.

The present invention relates to a data transfer control device and an electronic instrument.
In recent years, the Serial AT Attachment (Serial ATA) standard has attracted attention aimed at a serial interface for storage devices and the like. The Serial ATA standard has software-level compatibility with the Parallel ATA (IDE) standard. The data transfer rate of the original Serial ATA I standard is 1.5 Gbps. In the next Serial ATA II Gen2 standard, the data transfer rate is increased 3.0 Gbps. The number of interconnects provided between circuit boards included in an electronic instrument can be reduced utilizing the Serial ATA standard, whereby the size of the electronic instrument can be reduced.
On the other hand, a host (host device or host board) of an electronic instrument includes a parallel ATA (hereinafter appropriately referred to as "PATA") interface (hereinafter appropriately referred to as "I/F"), but generally does not include a Serial ATA (hereinafter appropriately referred to as "SATA") I/F. Therefore, a SATA device cannot be connected to a host which includes only a PATA I/F.
Devices such as a hard disk drive (HDD) have been increasingly equipped with a SATA I/F instead of a PATA I/F. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain an HDD equipped with a PATA I/F. As a result, the type of HDD which can be connected to a host which includes only a PATA I/F is limited, whereby an increase in capacity of a built-in HDD of electronic instruments is hindered.
The AT Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI) standard is known as an interface standard for multimedia devices such as CD drives and DVD drives. The ATAPI standard employs a packet command concept in order to minimize the expansion of ATA commands. According to the ATAPI standard, a device other than an HDD can be connected to an HDD ATA (IDE) controller. Therefore, when providing a data transfer control device with a PATA/SATA bridge function, it is desirable that the data transfer control device appropriately implement ATAPI data transfer.
JP-A-2005-346123 and JP-A-2006-121621 disclose a SATA/PATA bridge IC. JP-A-2005-346123 and JP-A-2006-121621 disclose inventions relating to a circuit board using the bridge IC and the like, but do not disclose an invention relating to a specific configuration of the bridge IC.
JP-A-2006-18428 discloses an HDD including a SATA bridge. The SATA bridge disclosed in JP-A-2006-18428 is a bridge in which a host is connected to the SATA side and a device is connected to the PATA side. Specifically, JP-A-2006-18428 does not disclose an invention relating to a bridge in which a host is connected to the PATA side and a device is connected to the SATA side. JP-A-2006-18428 discloses an invention characterized by protocol control using firmware, but does not disclose a characteristic circuit configuration.

Data transfer control device and electronic instrument


A method for easing data transmission congestion in a switch device having a plurality of ports. The switch device includes a shared buffer capable of dividing into a plurality of buffering units. The method comprises the steps as follows. A plurality of output queues are provided, in which the output queues have a one-to-one correspondence with the ports, and each output queue has a number of reserved buffering units. The buffering unit(s) are then assigned in the shared buffer. A packet is received from a source port and storing the packet in an assigned buffering unit. The target port of a packet is determined according to a header of the packet. Then, the buffering unit containing the packet is linked to the output queue that corresponds to the target port. The free buffering units are thus controlled according to a number of reserved buffering units in the output queue and a triggering or a terminating condition of the source port.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a network switch. More particularly, the present invention relates to a switch controller capable of easing flow congestion in a network.
2. Description of Related Art
Ethernet is probably the most widely used local area network (LAN) in electronic communication. However, due to a data transmission rate of mere 10 Mbps, a conventional Ethernet can hardly transmit the vast quantity of data flow required in a multi-media system. Consequently, a faster Ethernet system having a data transmission rate of 100 Mbps called Fast Ethernet appears. In the Fast Ethernet design, a reconciliation sublayer is introduced between a medium access control (MAC) sublayer and a physical medium dependency (PMD) sublayer. To use the Fast Ethernet system, the network interface card in each network workstation has to be replaced by a 100 Mbps fast Ethernet interface card. The network interface card in each workstation can also be retained, however, a switch device must be employed. In fact, in order to retain the original network interface card in each workstation, the 10 Mbps Ethernet equipment formerly invested by a company can be incorporated into the Fast Ethernet network through the switch device.
A workstation with a conventional Ethernet utilizing a twisted pair, disregarding whether the data transmission rate is 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps, is connected to a server via an Ethernet hub. In general, the bandwidth of an Ethernet hub is normally shared by all the workstations connected to the network. For example, for a 16 port 100 Mbps Ethernet hub, if four workstations are connected to the network, the bandwidth is shared between four workstations. On the other hand, if each of the 16 ports is connected to a workstation, the bandwidth is shared between all sixteen workstations. As the number of network user increases, the number of collisions in the network increases proportionately. Hence, network bandwidth for each user decreases while users increase. In a multimedia-craved world, a conventional Ethernet hub can not meet the traffic demanded by booming users.
The switch device intends to improve data flow so that each of the workstations connected to the device is able to enjoy faster data transmission. To achieve correct data switching, the switch device must register various connections between each workstation and each port. In other words, the switch device must have a module for recording all the addresses in a way similar to a bridging device. When the switch device receives a frame, the device will consult a path lookup table to find the port of the target workstation. If the target workstation is found, a controller will send out a control signal to the switch element and redirecting the frame to the port. On the contrary, if the target workstation is not found, the frame is broadcast to all the ports just to ensure that the target workstation is able to receive this frame.
The institute of electrical & electronics engineering (IEEE) has recently provided a standard specification 802.3u for network management 802.3u capable of simplifying network management. The IEEE standard 802.3u introduces an 'auto-negotiation' function, also known as an N-way function. The 'auto-negotiation' function enables the switch device and the Ethernet interface card of a workstation to learn each others' state, which may have various combinations as shown in Table I. An N-way switch device can learn the data transmission rate (10 Mbps or 100 Mbps) and multiplexing mode (full duplex or half-duplex) for each Ethernet interface card to employ a proper congestion control mechanism.
Before 'auto-negotiation' strategy is incorporated into standard specification 802.3u of IEEE, a few manufacturers has already produced Ethernet card that has auto-sensing capability. A number of switch devices and Ethernet cards are shown in Table 1, some of the devices has auto-negotiation functions while some has not.
TABLE 1various combinations of states between an Ethernet hub (switch device) andEthernet card with or without 'auto-negotiation' like function and operation thereof.Support onlySupport onlyNew generation 10/100TXNew generation of auto-10BASE-T hub100BASE-T hubco-existent network andnegotiation 10/100TX co-(switch device)(switch device)hub (switch device)existent hub (switch device)Support only10 MbpsChange to a 100 MbpsManual switch of the hubAutomatic switching of hub10BASE-T network cardnetwork card(switch device) to 10 Mbps(switch device) to 10 MbpsNetwork card withAutomatic switch ofAutomatic switch ofAutomatic switch ofManual switch of hubnon-standard auto-network card to 10 Mbpsnetwork card to 100 Mbpsnetwork card to 100 Mbps(switch device) andsensing capabilityafter manual switch of hubnetwork card to 100 Mbps(switch device) to 100 Mbps10/100TX co-existentAutomatic switch ofAutomatic switch ofManual switch of hubAutomatic switch of hubnetwork card with newnetwork card to 10 Mbpsnetwork card to 100 Mbps(switch device) and(switch device) andgeneration auto-half-duplexnetwork card to 100 Bbpsnetwork card to 100 Mbpsnegotiation capability
Due to the rapid progress in semiconductor technologies, the difference in the cost of producing a switch device and an Ethernet hub is getting smaller. Because of many advantages of a switch device, Ethernet hubs are gradually replaced by switch devices. Moreover, since a switch device can perform the functions provided by an Ethernet hub, combinations of devices detailed in Table 1 are all applicable to switch devices.
Furthermore, due to the multiplicity of transmission modes among different Ethernet devices, the automatic-negotiation relies on a set of priority sequence registered in a table to ensure the selection of an optimal transmission mode between two Ethernet devices. For example, a 10/100 Mbps dual speed network card is capable of operating at 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps. Under the priority algorithm, the priority sequence table preferably selects 100 Mbps. Table 2 is a priority setting for the different transmission modes for Ethernet devices having auto-negotiation capability.
TABLE 2Priority setting of Ethernet devices with auto-negotiation capabilityPriorityExplanations1100BASE-T2 full duplex2100BASE-T23100BASE-TX full duplex4100BASE-T45100BASE-TX610BASE-T full duplex710BASE-T
In Table 2, full duplex transmission mode has a higher priority than half-duplex mode because full duplex has a much higher data transmission rate than half-duplex. Transmission mode 10BASE-T has the least priority because it has the slowest data transmission rate. By consulting the priority table 2, the most suitable mode for transmitting data between the switch device (hub) and the network card can be selected.
To increase the overall throughput after the best transmission mode is chosen, the switch device usually provides a congestion control mechanism for transmitting information packets among the transmission ports. According to the resulting auto-negotiation between the target device (for example, an network card) and the switch device, one of the following three congestion control modes are adopted: (1) When the target device has full-duplex transmission capacity and flow control capability, the switch device will opt for a flow control mode; (2) when the target device has full-duplex transmission capacity but no flow control capability, the switch device will opt for a drop control mode; and (3) when the target device has neither half-duplex transmission capacity nor flow control capability, the switch device will opt for a back-pressure control mode. In the backpressure control mode, the switch controller issues a collision signal to destroy an incoming packet. On detecting the collision, the workstation will branch into a binary exponential backoff algorithm to compute a waiting time before the packet is submitted again. In the drop control mode, the packet is directly dropped at the source port instead of sending to the congested target port. This is because the target device uses full duplex transmission and different transmission lines are used respectively for sending and receiving data. Further, the source port enters a flow control mode whenever the target port is congested. In subsequent stage, flow control windows (XOFF windows) are triggered. Once XOFF windows are triggered, the switch controller will control the flow of packets according to the number of free buffers present.
The congestion control method in a conventional switch controller has the following two drawbacks:
(1) The ports of a switch controller have a plurality of input buffers. Furthermore, a plurality of private buffers are reserved by the input terminals of the ports for private use. However, when the number of free output buffers in the port of the switch controller is insufficient, the deployment of buffers by other ports is not permitted. Hence, the capacity of the switch device is limited.
(2) The XOFF threshold value of the flow control window is fixed. Hence, the switch device is unable to adjust the XOFF threshold value dynamically according to the number of free buffers. Therefore, the management of shared memory in the switch controller can not achieve the best performance.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical connections in a conventional switch device. The switch device 100 in FIG. 1 has a plurality of ports (eight ports are shown in FIG. 1). Each port is connected to a physical layer device 130. A static random access memory (SRAM) 120 is provided in the Ethernet control device 110 serving as a shared memory or buffer. On receiving a network packet, the port transfers and stores the packet in the shared buffer until the packet is retrieved by a target port.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the congestion control mechanism for resolving congestion in a conventional switch controller. When both the switch device and the network card can operate in full duplex mode and have flow control capability, flow control mode is called upon to resolve network congestion problems. While testing the performance of switch controller, there is an item known as head of line blocking (HOL). As shown in FIG. 2, head of line blocking refers to the blocking of the output of a port in the switch controller due to occupation so that other ports is unable to function normally. For example, assume that all ports are capable of transmitting data at 100 Mbps. When port 2 transmits data at 100% bandwidth to the port 3 while port 0 also transmits data at 50% bandwidth to the port 3, the total amount of data transmitted to port 3 is 150 Mbps. Hence, the amount of data going to the port 3 exceeds its admissible limit. Consequently, some packets may accumulate in the output queues of the port 3. In the meantime, if the port 4 needs to transmit data at 100% bandwidth to port 5, the transmission fails because all the free buffers are occupied due to the heavy congestion at port 3. Therefore, head of line blocking is a major factor affecting the efficiency of the switch controller.
In this invention, a number of private buffers are reserved for each port. Thus, although the port 3 is heavily congested, data transmission between port 4 and port 5 can still carry on because the port 5 has private buffer space.

Method and switch controller for easing flow congestion in network


A targeted approach toward the treatment of TN breast cancer by using AMPI-109 is disclosed. AMPI-109 is a compound with remarkable “cancer-specific” characteristics. In particular, AMPI-109 demonstrates a striking targeted capability to inhibit the proliferation of TN breast cancer cells and to induce apoptosis in TN breast cancer cells. The growth inhibitory effect of AMPI-109 is independent of VDR. AMPI-109 can also be coupled with other oncolytic agents in treating a patient with TN breast cancer.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the use of 1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3-3β-bromoacetate (AMPI-109) for treatment of triple negative (TN, also called basal-like (BL)) breast cancer.
Description of the Related Art
Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease exhibiting diverse biological characteristics and clinical responses. Gene expression profiling has defined genetic signatures corresponding to at least five distinct molecular subtypes of breast cancer including an aggressive form known as TN breast cancer.
There are three molecules that have been identified to promote many breast cancers: estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). By definition, TN breast cancer fails to express these three molecules. Although TN breast cancer represents a relatively small percentage of all breast cancers (˜20%), it is typically high grade (poorly differentiated) and rapidly progressive, with a higher risk of relapse and lower survival than other subtypes of breast cancer. Therefore, TN breast cancer is associated with a disproportionate number of deaths. Additionally, for unknown reasons, TN breast cancer is often diagnosed in younger women and women of African-American descent.
Current clinical approaches for breast cancer typically include agents that target the three molecules identified to promote many breast cancers, such as endocrine therapies and the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab targeting HER2. Because TN breast cancer is defined as absence of these targets, conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy is currently the mainstay systemic treatment for patients with TN breast cancer. However, conventional systemic treatments are limited by poor therapeutic response, high toxicity, and the development of resistance. Although new approaches in the treatment of TN breast cancer such as targeting DNA repair with PARP inhibitors have emerged, there have been relatively fewer therapeutic advances in TN breast cancer when compared to other subtypes of the disease. Thus, there is a pressing need for targeted approaches toward the treatment of TN breast cancer.
In view of these problems, an object of the present invention is to develop an effective method for treating TN breast cancer. Another object is to develop a method targeting TN breast cancer cells of various molecular subtypes with little or no effect on normal cells. These and other objects have been achieved according to the present invention.

Method for treating triple-negative breast cancer using AMPI-109

The Regents of the University of Colorado, a body corporate


A method (20 or 30) and system (40) for estimating a battery state of charge can include a memory (48) for storing at least one among an impedance value, a plurality of values for V drop 0-1, or a plurality of values for V drop 0-1 normalized for charge or discharge values providing a stored plurality of values. The system can include a processor (44) and can measure at least one among V drop C-0 providing a measured V drop C-0 value and V drop 0-1 for the providing a measured V drop 0-1 value. The processor can be programmed to perform the functions of dividing the V drop C-0 value by the impedance value to estimate a charging current at the battery or comparing the measured V drop 0-1 value with a value among the stored plurality of values to estimate the battery state of charge.

A battery state of charge is routinely displayed to the user for numerous types of products. There are many examples of inaccuracies causing incorrect displaying of the state of charge. For example, with Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries, it is difficult to predict their state of charge (SOC) because of the charging and discharging characteristics of NiMH battery technology. It can be shown on charge and discharge curves that while voltages can be the same, the SOC can be substantially different. Thus, it is very difficult to use an open circuit voltage to accurately predict the SOC of the NiMH battery, as the battery operating mode (charging, discharging, or charge sustaining) should be known. Other battery technologies have similar issues creating a difficult environment for accurately estimating the state of charge for any particular battery technology. There fails to exist an accurate means of estimating the state of charge without necessarily increasing the cost of an overall system.
In some SOC measuring schemes, a sense resistor is used to measure the current flowing into or out of a battery. The sense resistor value depends on the currents being measured. In general, a sense resistor should be selected so that the voltage drop across that resistor exceeds a predetermined voltage for the lowest current representing the majority of the battery drain, and the lowest practical voltage drop across the sense resistor is achieved to maximize the useful voltage available from the battery pack.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,359,419 by Verbrugge et. al. discusses a method of determining a state of charge of a battery by determining a "current-based" state of charge measurement based on coulomb integration, determining a voltage-based state of charge measurement based on the resistance of the battery and a hysteresis voltage, and combining the current-based state of charge measurement and the voltage-based state of charge measurement with a weighting factor to generate the state of charge of the battery. Even if such a system were accurate, it appears to be quite computatively complex and expensive. Furthermore, such a system may not work well for an induction charging system where there is no physical connection between the battery and the charging apparatus or device.
Induction charging systems are well known in the field of portable electrical devices. For example, portable motorized toothbrushes typically contain a rechargeable battery which is charged by induction. Similarly, portable wireless communication devices, such as two-way radio frequency (RF) radios, cellular phones, paging devices, and wireless communicators, commonly utilize a rechargeable battery that, in certain applications, is recharged by contactless induction charging. Such portable devices are becoming increasingly popular because of the convenience afforded a user by working without a wired connection, such as not having to connect plugs to sockets, not having to precisely locate and plug a unit to be charged, and the ability to quickly remove from a charger unit a device that has been recharged ("grab-n-go").
Unfortunately, present induction charging systems either have little control over input voltage to the charge control circuitry, or such systems employ wireless techniques to control these parameters by regulating the base of the charging system. Notably, implementation of wireless control techniques within the charging system is expensive. Accurately estimating the SOC of a battery being charged and utilizing such information would allow for a more efficient charging system.

Method and system for battery state of charge estimation by using measured changes in voltage


The gas generator has two tubes, coaxial to each other, with different diameters, between which there is formed an annular intermediate chamber. The inner tube is filled with gas-producing material in the form of pellets, which develops pressure gas when ignited, the gas emerges via openings in both tubes. Projecting into the inner tube there is an ignition device, which extends through the cylindrical walls of both tubes. The ignition device is held by a ring or tubular holding body, which is substantially shorter than both tubes and fills out the intermediate chamber between both tubes. Both tubes are provided with peripheral openings aligning with each other, and the holding body has an installation through-hole, into which the ignition device is positioned. The holding body has furthermore a slot. The ignition device is held in a reliable manner by means of the holding body.

This invention relates to a gas generator, in particular a tubular generator for an air bag, with an outer tube and an inner tube and for accepting a gas-producing material, wherein the inner tube, forming an annular intermediate chamber, is arranged radially spaced from the outer tube; with closure covers for closing open front ends of both tubes and with an ignition device, extending up to the interior of the inner tube, for igniting the gas-producing material; the ignition device being arranged centrally of the tubes.
A similar tubular gas generator is known from DE-39 14 690 C2. The known gas generator has an outer tube, in the wall (jacket) of which there are arranged gas outlet openings and the front ends of which are closed by disc-like closure covers inserted into the outer tube. Arranged coaxially to the outer tube and in this tube there is an inner tube, also provided with gas outlet openings in its jacket, the outer diameter of which is smaller than the inner diameter of the outer tube, so that there is a radial spacing between both tubes. In the annular intermediate chamber there is arranged a filter material. The inner tube, the axial length of which is less than that of the outer tube, is filled up with (pressure) gas-producing material (in the following description, this material is also called pressure gas-generating charge, for example in the form of pellets), which is ignited by an ignition unit. The gas formed upon ignition of the gas-producing material passes via the gas outlet openings of the inner tube through the filter material, in order to emerge outside via the gas outlet openings in the outer tube. The gas generator is arranged in a housing which is open on one side, when it is used for an air bag, said opening being closed by a folded fabric, the actual inflatable air bag. In this known tubular gas generator the ignition unit is arranged at one end of the gas generator in the closure cover. This "one-sided" arrangement of the ignition unit is disadvantageous with regard to a steady ignition of the pressure gas-generating charge.
A more steady ignition of the pressure gas-generating charge could be achieved, if the ignition unit was arranged in the center of the charge, at both sides of the ignition unit, located therefore, in approximately the same quantity and distribution of gas-producing material. Such arrangements of the ignition units of gas generators are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,681 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,675. According to the latter U.S. patent, the ignition unit is arranged transverse to the longitudinal extent of the gas generator in the center of its longitudinal extent, wherein the ignition unit is anchored or secured in the relatively thick housing wall. The problems of securing the ignition device in the wall of the outer tube of a tubular gas generator consists in that this connection cannot be formed to be sufficiently stable, since the outer tube, just like the inner tube, is relatively thin, therefore a secure support, which is acting reliably against the forces produced with ignition of the charge, is not able to be achieved.

Gas generator, in particular, a tubular gas generator for an air bag


A detector module is provided, where a side of a signal adapter circuit board opposite to an X-ray source has an analog signal output terminal, at least one A/D chip is installed on an A/D conversion circuit board, and the signal adapter circuit board and the A/D conversion circuit board are connected through non-removable flexible connection with a data line. The data line is connected with the analog signal output terminal and an input terminal of the at least one A/D chip, and is adapted to transmit an analog signal. Therefore, the number of A/D conversion circuit boards in a direction of a channel of a scan chamber is increased, and a signal adapter circuit board along a direction of the channel of the scan chamber may be set to have a maximum width when detector modules are arranged closely, which is beneficial for reducing wiring density of signal wires.

As shown in FIG. 1, in a computed tomography (CT) device, an X-ray source 101 and a detector module group 103 are installed on a rotatable gantry 104, The detector module group 103 is adapted to receive X-rays which are emitted from the X-ray source 101 and penetrates a scan chamber 102 in the CT device. Through rotation and movement of the rotatable gantry 104, CT scan of a patient in the scan chamber 102 is performed. The detector module group 103 includes a plurality of detector modules 1031 which are strongly connected. A side of each detector module 1031 which faces X-rays is installed with a detector which is adapted to receive X-rays. Another side of each detector module 1031 which is opposite to X-rays is installed with a plurality of analog signal output terminals and a plurality of analog-to-digital (A/D) chips. The plurality of analog signal output terminals are adapted to convert the received X-ray data into analog signals and output the analog signals. The plurality of A/D chips are connected with the plurality of analog signal output terminals through data lines. The plurality of A/D chips and the plurality of output terminals are installed on one circuit board and the number of the A/D chips is great, while the area of the circuit board is limited, thus, the density of electric components on the circuit board may be very high and pins' connection may be complicated, which greatly reduces the reliability of signal connection and transmission.

SHENYANG NEUSOFT MEDICAL SYSTEMS CO., LTD.


A variable impedance sense (VIS) circuit (400) can detect a drift in the impedance of variable impedance circuits due to changes in operating conditions. Adjustments to binary impedance setting codes are made in response to a detected drift only when such changes do not increase a worst case variation from a target impedance. Adjustments can also be made in response to a detected input offset polarity.

Integrated circuits and other electronic devices can include input and/or output (I/O) connections for transmitting and receiving signals. As signal transmission speeds have increased, impedance matching has become an increasingly important feature in such devices. Matching impedance with external package and/or circuit board traces can improve the signal integrity and performance of both a signal transmitter and receiver.
In order to match signal line impedance, I/O circuits can include variable impedance circuits that can be adjusted as needed to match a sensed reference impedance value. Such circuits typically include a pull-up array of impedance devices (e.g., resistors) and/or a pull-down array of impedance devices (e.g., resistors). By selectively enabling such impedance devices, the impedance presented at the I/O can be calibrated to provide a target impedance.
One circuit that can be used in calibrating I/Os is a variable impedance sense (VIS) circuit. A VIS circuit can be used in I/O circuits to match the impedance of pull-up and pull-down arrays to an impedance of an external trace by sensing the resistance of an external reference impedance (e.g., reference resistor). The accuracy of impedance sense and matching circuit can be limited by the architecture and various error sources.
To better understand various features of the disclosed embodiments, a conventional VIS circuit will now be described with reference to FIG. 11 (BACKGROUND ART #1).
A VIS circuit 1100 can include an external calibrating resistor RQ that is utilized to calibrate pull-up (PU) arrays 1102-0 and 1102-1, as well as a pull-down (PD) array 1104. PU arrays (1102-0 and 1102-1) and PD array 1104 are understood to be replicas of PU and PD arrays of actual I/O circuits (not shown) for which impedance matching is employed.
Each PU array and PD array can be composed of several pull-up and pull-down legs arranged in parallel. Each leg can represent a unit resistance, which can be established by a combination of transistors and/or a resistor, for example. An impedance of a PU array or PD array can be set by turning on the appropriate number of legs in parallel. FIG. 11 shows a digital count value (pu_dac[k:0] and pd_dac[k:0]) for both PU and PD arrays, respectively.
The VIS circuit 1100 also shows a switch circuit 1106. A switch circuit 1106 can selectively connect a reference voltage Vref or a voltage generated by PU/PD arrays 1102-1/1104 to one input (−) of a high gain comparator 1108 and a voltage generated by PU arrays 1102-0/RQ to another input (+) of the comparator 1108. The switch circuit 1106 shown includes two switch elements PD_EN and PU_EN.
Comparator 1108 has an output connected to a comparator register 1110. A comparator register 1110 can store an output value generated by comparator 1108.
The VIS circuit 1100 of FIG. 11 includes a calibration loop 1112 for a PU array as well as a calibration loop 1114 for a PD array. Further, the VIS circuit 1100 generates impedance matching values utilizing a successive approximation register (SAR) technique, and so includes SAR/counters (SAR/Counter) 1116-0 and 1116-1 for both such loops (1112 and 1114). A resulting value generated in the SAR/Counters 1116-0 and 1116-1 can be stored in update registers 1118-0 and 1118-1, respectively.
As is well understood, in a successive approximation technique, a "most" significant impedance leg can be switched into the circuit to create a voltage divider in combination with a reference impedance (e.g., RQ). A resulting voltage generated can be compared against a reference voltage. If the voltage is greater than the reference voltage (as determined by a comparator) a most significant bit can be set to a particular value (e.g., 1 or 0). In a following cycle, a next significant impedance leg can be switched into the circuit to determine the value of the next most significant bit. This can continue until a final code is generated.
In the arrangement of FIG. 11, SAR/Counters (1116-0 and 1116-1) can operate as successive approximation registers or as up/down counters based on the mode of operation and the comparator output. The particular mode of operation can be established by control block 1120.
In an initial calibration cycle, a control block 1120 operates SAR/Counters (1116-0 and 1116-1) as successive approximation registers. However, in an update cycle (described in more detail below), SAR/Counters (1116-0 and 1116-1) can operate as up and/or down counters.
Final codes generated by VIS circuit 1100 (pucode[k:1] and pdcode[k:1]) can be provided to other I/O circuits via final update registers 1122-0 and 1122-1. As shown in FIG. 11, final codes (pu_dac[k:1] and pd_dac[k:1]) can be generated by dropping a least significant bit (pu_dac[0] and pd_dac[0]) of a code stored in update registers 1118-0 and 1118-1, respectively.
The operation of the conventional VIS circuit 1100 will now be described.
A VIS circuit 1100 can be conceptualized as including two closed loops; one for the PU array calibration 1112 and another for the PD array calibration 1114. Each loop can include a resistive voltage divider digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and analog-to-digital converter (ADC). In the case of PU loop 1112, the DAC is formed by PU array 1102-0, which receives a digital code (pu_dac[k:0]), and reference resistor RQ, and provides a resulting analog voltage on reference node 1124. In the case of PD loop 1114, the DAC is formed by PU array 1102-1, which receives a digital code (pu_dac[k:0]) and PD array 1104, which receives a digital code (pd_dac[k:0]), and provides a resulting analog voltage on reference node 1126.
In the case of PU loop 1112, the ADC is an SAR type ADC formed by comparator 1108, comparator register 1110, and SAR/Counter 1116-0, as controlled by control block 1120. Similarly, in the case of PD loop 1114, the ADC is an SAR type ADC formed by comparator 1108, comparator register 1110, and SAR/Counter 1116-1, as controlled by control block 1120.
In a calibration of the PU loop 1112, VIS circuit 1100 can determine a binary output code (pucode[k:1]) for PU arrays in the device by calibrating PU array 1102-0 against external reference resistor RQ. In a calibration of PD loop 1114, VIS circuit 1100 can determine a binary output code (pdcode[k:1) for PD arrays in the device by calibrating PD array 1104 against an already calibrated PU array 1102-1. That is, once a calibrated pull-up code (pu_dac[k:0]) has been generated, such a code can be applied to PU array 1102-1, to enable it to act as a reference resistor for PD array 1104.
Initially, a PU loop 1112 can be enabled and a PD loop 1114 can be disabled. In such a state, switch element PU_EN can be closed (i.e., low impedance) and switch element PD_EN can be open (i.e., high impedance). An output of the PU voltage divider (1102-0/RQ) on reference node 1124 can be connected to a positive terminal of comparator 1108 and a reference voltage (Vref) can be connected to a negative terminal of comparator 1108. Resulting outputs of the comparator C1 can be used by SAR/Counter 1116-0 in an SAR type binary search algorithm to determine binary output code for the PU array (pu_dac[k:0]). In such an operation, comparator 1108 and SAR/Counter 1116-0 can act as an SAR ADC, which quantizes the analog input (output of the PU voltage divider) one bit (e.g., reference resistor leg) at a time. For each bit (starting from the MSB of pu_dac[k:0]), the ADC turns on the bit and checks the output of the DAC (PU voltage divider). If the output of comparator 1108 is HIGH, the bit can be turned off and the next bit can be turned on. If the output of comparator 1108 is LOW, a bit can be left on and the next bit can be turned on. This process can be repeated until all (in this case k+1) bits of the pull-up binary code (pu_dac[k:0]) have been determined. A final pull-up binary code can represent the number of pull-up legs required to match the impedance of PU array 1102-0 to the external resistor RQ.
Once PU array 1102-0 has been calibrated, the resulting code stored in update register 1118-0 can be output to reference PU array 1102-1, and PU loop 1112 can be disabled. Subsequently, PD loop 1114 can be enabled and the same procedure (SAR technique) can be used to calibrate PD array 1104. Accordingly, switch PD_EN can be closed and switch PU_EN can be open. An output of the PD voltage divider (1102-1/1104) at reference node 1126 can be connected to a negative terminal of comparator 1108 and node 1124 can be connected to a positive terminal of comparator 1108. A final pull-down binary code (pd_dac[k:0]) can be stored in update register 1118-1, and can represent the total number of pull-down legs required to match the impedance of PD array 1104 to calibrated PU array 1102-1. This can complete an initial calibration cycle.
However, while one set of calibration codes can provide an initial impedance match for I/Os of a device, operating conditions can result in changes (i.e., drift) in circuit components. In order to account for the variations in temperature and voltage the pull-up and pull-down binary output codes (pu_dac [k:0] and pd_dac [k:0]) can be updated every "P" number of clock cycles. Such updates can be 1 bit updates that introduce a maximum of 1 LSB in either an up direction (increment) or down direction (decrement). Such an operation can be an update cycle or update mode operation.
Referring still to FIG. 11, during an update mode operation, an SAR/Counter (1116-0 and/or 1116-1) can operate as an up-down counter according to an output of comparator 1108. A PU array 1102-0 can be updated first, with a resulting code being applied to PU array 1102-1. A PD array 1104 can then be updated. In more detail, during an update operation of a PU array 1102-0, if an output of comparator 1108 is '1', indicating that there has been some decrease in the impedance of the PU array 1102-0, pull-up binary code (pu_dac[k:0]) can be decremented by 1. Conversely, if an output of comparator 1108 is '0', indicating an increase in the impedance of PU array 1102-0, pull-up binary code (pu_dac[k:0]) can be incremented by 1. Once a pull-up binary code is updated, a pull-down binary code (pd_dac[k:0]) can be updated in the same general way. Such codes values can then be forwarded to actual I/Os of the device.
As noted briefly above, the arrangement of FIG. 11 shows an example in which a binary output code of k+1 bits is generated, but only k such bits are used as values to provide impedance matching at actual I/Os. That is, an LSB bit of binary output codes (pu_dac [k:0] and pd_dac [k:0]) can be dropped and the remaining k bits (pu_dac[k:1] and pd_dac[k:1] are stored in final update registers (1122-0 and 1122-1) and then provided to I/O driver circuits.
The dropping of an LSB can occur in order to reduce noise in a VIS circuit 1100. In the case of frequent update cycles, and especially for continuous updates (updates at every clock cycle), an LSB bit within each output code can toggle every update cycle (even if there is no significant temperature or voltage variation). Such a bit can be called a "chatter" bit. A chattering of an LSB bit can cause significant noise in a driver circuit and adversely affect its performance.
Accordingly, in cases where the noise due to the chattering bit dominates the accuracy gained by the 1 LSB, the LSB bit can be dropped and the remaining bits can be utilized to match impedance of actual I/O driver circuits. This can be the same as the I/O driver circuits getting all the bits, but with the last bit (LSB) being always '0' (turned OFF). In FIG. 11, an LSB bit can be dropped only on a final code that is forwarded to I/O driver circuits and not on the code inside the VIS circuit. Thus, dropping of an LSB bit can have no effect on the general operation of the operation of calibration loops 1112 and 1114.
The conventional approach shown in FIGS. 11 and 14 is disclosed in commonly-owned co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/138,823, filed on May 26, 2005, titled IMPEDANCE BUFFER METHOD, by Derek Yang. The contents of this application are incorporated by reference herein.
The conventional arrangement shown in FIG. 11 can provide advantageously precise matching between a PD array and a reference impedance (RQ). However, such an arrangement can have drawbacks in certain applications. First, matching may not be as precise between a PU array and RQ. Further, an input offset voltage can be a significant source of error in the VIS circuit 1100. In particular, in light of the quantization error introduced by dropping an LSB, the impact of an input offset upon performance can vary according to the polarity of the input offset.
One approach to addressing input offset is shown in commonly-owned co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/540,831, filed on Sep. 28, 2006, titled VARIABLE IMPEDANCE SENSE ARCHITECTURE AND METHOD, by Vullaganti et al. One example of this approach is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 (BACKGROUND ART #2). The contents of this application are incorporated by reference herein.
FIG. 12 is a block schematic diagram of a VIS circuit 1200. The operation of the circuit is shown in FIG. 13. In this particular example, when an input offset has a negative value, a generated SAR binary impedance setting value (code) can be incremented by one. Further, if a resulting incremented code has a LSB of "1", the code can be incremented again prior to the LSB being dropped.
The above arrangement can provide advantageously precise matching between a PU array and a reference impedance (RQ). Further, error rates resulting from an input offset and subsequent quantization resulting from dropping the LSB can be addressed.
Referring now to FIG. 13, a conceptual operation of the VIS circuit of FIG. 12 is shown in a flow diagram. FIG. 13 shows an initial calibration cycle, as well as update operations described above. Within the flow diagram 1300, "STEP B1" refers to implementation of a binary search SAR technique during an initial calibration cycle. STEP B2 refers to the operation of, if needed, further incrementing a code prior to dropping an LSB. STEP B3 represents an up/down counter operation during an update operation. STEP B4 represents the operation of, if needed, further incrementing a code prior to dropping an LSB during an update operation.
While the above approach can provide clear advantages over conventional impedance sensing and matching, even greater improvements are desirable in some applications. In particular, some applications can require matching not only between a line (e.g., trace) impedance, but also a matching between a PU array and PD array. For example, some operational specifications can require that an impedance between a PU array and PD array, with respect to a reference impedance (RQ), be no more than 10%. At the same time, PU array and PD array impedance should vary by no more than 4%.
Thus, while an approach like that of FIGS. 11 and 12 can provide relatively good matching between a PD array and/or PU array to a reference impedance (RQ), such approaches may not meet a required tolerance of impedance matching between a PD array and PU array.
In approaches like those described above, during an update cycle, the compensation mechanism for impedance variations following an initial calibration involves changing the LSB of a code either 1 bit up or 1 bit down based on the output of the comparator. However, such compensation can occur even when there is no significant variation in the impedance, or when the variation is such that the error is actually reduced. Because the architectures like those above simply count 1 LSB up or down based on the output of the comparator, in certain cases an additional error of 1 LSB can be introduced during an update cycle. This is explained in detail below in FIGS. 14A to 14B.
FIG. 14A shows an example of the propagation of a worst-case error during the initial and update mode operations. The figure shows an example in which an input offset is positive. During the update mode operation of pull-down array codes (PD calibration), even when there is no significant variation in the resistance of the PD array, a control block can count one LSB up (see STEPB3). This count-up operation can increase pull-down impedance code error by 1 LSB. Further, a mismatch between a PU array and PD array can be 2 LSB as a result of the update mode operation.
FIG. 14B shows another example for the propagation of the worst-case error during the initial and update mode operations. In this example, pull-up array has a small/negligible variation moving towards the target resistance RQ. A control block can count one LSB down, further increasing the error, even though the variation is actually moving closer to a target resistance RQ. Further, a mismatch between a PU array and PD array can once again be 2 LSB as a result of this update mode operation.
These error rates are summarized in the table of FIG. 15.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Variable impedance sense architecture and method


A fastening system includes a bolt member, a nut to be turned, and a torque power tool operative for applying a torque to the bolt member and a torque to the nut to be turned simultaneously, so that during turning of the nut, the bolt member does not turn or twist due to torsion or side load, the bolt member including a rod and a washer having an axis, the rod having at least two portions located substantially at its ends, one of the portions being a threaded portion and located at one of the ends of said rod to connect with the nut to be turned while another of the portion located at the other of the ends of the rod is adapted to connect with an object, the washer having two opposite bearing faces extending substantially perpendicular to the axis and being subjected to turning friction, the bearing faces including an upper bearing face adapted to cooperate with a bearing face of the nut to be turned and a lower bearing face adapted to cooperate with a bearing face of one of the at least two parts, the torque power tool having a first drive structure connectable with the bolt member to apply a torque to the one portion of the rod and to the washer in one direction, and a second drive structure connectable with the nut to be turned to apply an equal force in an opposite direction, so that during operation of the torque power tool a turning friction of the washer is added to a turning friction of the one portion of the rod, so that the nut to be turned turns while the bolt member remains stationary.

The present invention relates generally to a fastening device for fastening bolts, nuts and the like.
Fasteners such as bolts and nuts are known. When the nut is tightened by means of torque, the bolt has a tendency to move along with the nut, while the reaction force applied by a torque power tool to a nearby stationary object applies a side load to the fastener to be tightened. The thread friction between a bolt and nut, is such, that it has the tendency to drag not firmly connected bolts along where the nut is torqued. In other words, the turning friction created by the nut to be turned in the bolt thread is at times greater than the turning friction of a counter-nut connected to the bolt on the other side of the parts to be connected, despite the fact that a turning counter-nut is subject to facial friction. Even if there is a washer underneath the nut to be turned, it too can drag along while the nut is turned.
When a bolt is threaded into a blind hole in the bottom part of the parts to be connected, it too has a tendency to turn along. For the above reasons, industry applies backup wrenches which stop the bottom nut from turning along or Allen keys that insert into a female hex on top of the blind stud to hold the stud from turning inside the threaded blind hole. This procedure is not always successful as the holding force varies with peak torque requirements resulting from flaws in the bolt thread. However, if it works on occasion or if the other bolt end is sturdly connected, then torsion builds up in the bolt shank apart from the side load created by reacting against the stationary object located distant from the bolt axis. On long bolts this can result in a loss of torque when the bolt unwinds. Thus, the turning of the bolt along with the nut, the built up of bolt torsion and the side load applied is non-desirable. It is therefore necessary to find a way to contravene the turning friction of the nut to be turned and the side load in such a way that the bolt remains stationary and the free bolt shank does not see any torsion or side load. As the side load is created through an offset reaction, the reaction force needs to become coaxial with the action force. This was accompanied by increasing the bolt turning friction relative to the nut turning friction so that the bolt member with its associated parts can be used as a stationary object. As the turning friction of the nut is shared between the threaded engagement with the bolt and the facial engagement with the parts to be connected or the washer, the turning friction of the bolt needs also to be shared. A bolt threaded into a blind hole or connected with a counter nut has one threaded friction there and another one where the bolt is connected with the nut to be turned. As the bearing face friction of the nut usually exceeds the threaded friction on the bottom end of the bolt, the bolt has a tendency to turn along where the nut is torqued. If a turning force is applied to a nut and an opposite and equal turning force is applied to a bolt, either one ends up turning. Therefore, it is necessary to either increase the bolt turning friction or to decrease the nut turning friction, so that when two equal but opposite forces are applied to the bolt and the nut, only the nut turns. This task was accomplished by making the turning friction of the bolt rod subject to the turning friction of the washer. Yet, this by itself does not mean anything because if a turning force is only applied to the nut, the bolt and the washer still can turn along and a side load is still applied to the bolt. It requires in addition a tool, which has an action force and an equal but opposite reaction force such as a torque power tool to guarantee that only the nut turns. By applying a torque power tool to the fastener in such a way that the turning force of the torque power tool in one direction is exerted to the nut and the equal but opposite turning force of the torque power tool is exerted to the bolt rod and the washer, only the nut turns.
A fastener is known in the art, such as for example the fastener disclosed my U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,397. It however has the disadvantage that the inner sleeve needs to be relatively radially thick at the point where it is connected to the washer, as the holding force applicable to the inner sleeve is transferred by the inner sleeve to the washer. Therefore, this connection can see in some instances the entire, opposite turning force applied to the outer sleeve. In addition, a fastener described in my previous patent is costly to produce.
Accordingly, it is an object of present invention to provide a fastening device which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent herienafter, one feature of present invention resides briefly stated, in a fastening device which has a bolt member, a nut to be turned, and a torque power tool operative for applying a torque to the bolt member and torque to the nut to be turned simultaneously, so that during tightening of the fastener and turning of the nut, the bolt member does not turn or twist due to torsion or side load, the bolt member including a rod and a washer having an axis, the rod having two portions located substantially at is ends, one of the portions being a threaded portion and located at one of the ends to connect with the nut to be turned while another of the portion located at the other of the ends of the rod is adapted to connect with an object at the other end, the washer having two opposite bearing faces extending substantially perpendicular to said axis and being subjected to turning friction, the bearing faces including an upper bearing face adapted to cooperate with a bearing face of the nut to be turned and a lower bearing face adapted to cooperate with a bearing face of one of the two parts, the torque power tool having first drive means connectable with the bolt member to apply a torque to the one portion of the rod and to the washer in one direction, and second drive means connectable with the nut to be turned to apply an equal force in an opposite direction, so that during operation of the torque power tool a turning friction of the washer is added to a turning friction of the one portion of the rod, so that the nut to be turned turns while the bolt member remains stationary.
When the fastening device is designed in accordance with the present invention and includes the bolt member, the nut and the torque power tool as defined hereinabove, it eliminates turning of the bolt or of the washer along with turning of the nut.
In the inventive fastening device including the bolt member, the nut and the torque power tool, the tool when applied will eliminate that the bolt twists in its free shank due to torsion. With the fastening device in accordance with the present invention, including the bolt member and the torque power tool, the usual side load resulting from torque is eliminated.
When the fastener including the bolt and the nut is being tightened by means of the tool, the friction of the bolt relative to the friction of the nut changes. Also, the changed friction of the bolt is kept at all times in the same relation to the friction of the nut, even when the friction of the nut becomes temporarily greater due to kinks in the thread or other discrepancies.
With the inventive fastening device, the turning friction between the nut and the bolt is brought closer and it is possible to use standard commercial parts. A smaller diameter and a less expensive construction is feasible.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.