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Laser-plasma hybrid welding method |
The invention relates to a process for laser-plasma hybrid welding, in which, to weld work pieces, a laser beam (10) and a plasma jet (11) are brought together in the process region close to the work piece. According to the invention, the free microwave-induced plasma jet (11) is generated by means of the following process steps: generation of microwaves in a high-frequency microwave source, guiding of the microwaves in a hollow waveguide (1) introduction of a process gas into a microwave-transparent tube (2), which comprises a gas inlet opening (14) and a gas outlet opening (15), at a pressure p≧1 bar, the process gas being introduced into the microwave-transparent tube (2) through the gas inlet opening (14) in such a manner that it has a tangential flow component, generation of a plasma (12) in the microwave-transparent tube (2) by means of electrode-free ignition of the process gas, generation of a plasma jet (11) by introduction of the plasma (12) into the working space (16) through a metallic nozzle (1) arranged at the gas outlet opening (15) of the tube (2). |
1-10. (canceled) 11. A process for laser-plasma hybrid welding, in which, to weld a workpiece, a laser beam and a plasma jet are brought together in a process region close to the workpiece, the plasma jet being a free microwave-induced plasma jet generated by: generating microwaves in a high-frequency microwave source, guiding the microwaves in a hollow waveguide, introducing a process gas into a microwave-transparent tube, which comprises a gas inlet opening and a gas outlet opening, at a pressure p≧1 bar, the process gas being introduced into the microwave-transparent tube through the gas inlet opening in such a manner that it has a tangential flow component, generating a plasma in the microwave-transparent tube by electrode-free ignition of the process gas, and generating a plasma jet by introduction of the plasma into the working space through a metallic nozzle arranged at the gas outlet opening of the tube. 12. The process as claimed in claim 11, wherein the laser beam is generated in a Nd-YAG solid state laser, a CO2 laser, an excimer laser, or a diode laser. 13. The process as claimed in claim 11, wherein the laser beam is guided through the microwave-transparent tube and through the metallic nozzle. 14. The process as claimed in claim 13, wherein the metallic nozzle is an expansion nozzle. 15. The process as claimed in claim 11, wherein the laser beam is guided outside the microwave-transparent tube. 16. The process as claimed in claim 13, wherein the laser beam and the plasma jet are at an angle to one another. 17. The process as claimed in claim 11, wherein microwaves in the frequency range between 0.95 GHz and 35 GHz are used to generate the plasma. 18. The process as claimed in claim 11, wherein the hollow waveguide, which is oriented perpendicular to the microwave-transparent tube, has a narrowed cross section at the location at which the tube is guided through the hollow waveguide. 19. The process as claimed in claim 11, wherein the microwave-transparent tube used is a tube with dielectric properties made from SiO2 or Al2O3 in pure form without any doping. 20. The process as claimed in claim 11, wherein a spark gap is used to ignite the plasma. 21. The process as claimed in claim 12, wherein the laser beam is guided through the microwave-transparent tube and through the metallic nozzle. 22. The process as claimed in claim 21, wherein the metallic nozzle is an expansion nozzle. 23. The process as claimed in claim 12, wherein the laser beam is guided outside the microwave-transparent tube. 24. The process as claimed in claim 15, wherein the laser beam and the plasma jet are at an angle to one another. 25. The process as claimed in claim 12, wherein microwaves in the frequency range between 0.95 GHz and 35 GHz are used to generate the plasma. 26. The process as claimed in claim 12, wherein the hollow waveguide, which is oriented perpendicular to the microwave-transparent tube, has a narrowed cross section at the location at which the tube is guided through the hollow waveguide. 27. The process as claimed in claim 12, wherein the microwave-transparent tube used is a tube with dielectric properties made from SiO2 or Al2O3 in pure form without any doping. 28. The process as claimed in claim 12, wherein a spark gap is used to ignite the plasma. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>The invention relates to a process for laser-plasma hybrid welding. U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,343 describes a fixture in which a laser welding process and a conventional plasma welding process, for example tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) or metal active gas welding (MAG), are combined with one another. In this case, an arc burns between a non-melting electrode, usually a tungsten electrode, and the work piece, with the work piece being partially melted. The laser beam is focused onto the work piece by means of a lens system. The lens system and the electrode are arranged concentrically with respect to one another. The laser beam can then be used to concentrate a high energy output in a narrow and deep area of the partially melted work piece. A further process for the welding of work pieces by means of laser-plasma hybrid welding is described in German publication DE 195 00 512 A1. In this case, the laser beam used to weld the work pieces and the arc are arranged at an angle to one another. In this known process too, the arc burns between an electrode and the work piece. The known processes have proven to have the drawback that the welding speed is relatively low on account of the current intensity being limited by the service life of the electrode, leading to a limited arc power. Moreover, on account of the relatively high thermal conductivity of the work pieces which are to be welded, a considerable proportion of the heat which is introduced into the work piece flows away into the environment of the weld seam. This results in further drawbacks with regard to a high thermal load on the work piece, leading to considerable distortion of the work piece. A further drawback is the restricted use of process gases. For example, it is customary for noble gases to be used as process gas in the known processes. The use of oxygen, for example, and other process gases which are corrosive with respect to the electrode materials is not possible. On account of the high arc divergence of the plasma jet and the associated low power density introduced into the work piece, a high-power laser is required for the known laser-plasma hybrid welding processes. Further drawbacks include the low long-term stability and also the cost-intensive structure and operation of conventional laser-plasma hybrid welding systems. It is an object of the invention to provide a process for laser-plasma hybrid welding in which the investment and operating costs of the laser-plasma hybrid welding process can be reduced and the welding speed can be increased. This object is achieved by the claimed invention. Advantageous embodiments of the invention form the subject matter of subclaims. According to the invention, a free microwave-induced plasma jet is used for the laser-plasma hybrid welding, and this jet is generated in the following way: microwaves which are guided in a hollow waveguide are generated in a high-frequency microwave source. The process gas is introduced into a microwave-transparent tube, which comprises a gas inlet opening and a gas outlet opening, at a pressure p≧1 bar, through the gas inlet opening of the tube, in such a manner that it has a tangential flow component. A plasma is generated in the microwave-transparent tube by means of electrode-free ignition of the process gas, and this plasma is then introduced into the working space through a metallic nozzle arranged at the gas outlet opening of the tube, with the result that the plasma jet is generated. The work piece to be welded is in particular located in the working space. The laser beam is advantageously generated in a solid-state laser, in particular an Nd-YAG laser, or in a gas laser, in particular a CO 2 laser or excimer laser. However, it is also possible for the laser beam to be generated in a diode laser. In a first advantageous embodiment of the invention, the laser beam runs through the microwave-transparent tube and through the opening of the nozzle into the working space. In this case it is possible, for example, for the laser beam and the plasma jet to run concentrically with respect to one another. Given a correspondingly large opening diameter of the nozzle, however, it is also possible for the laser beam and the plasma jet to run at a predeterminable angle, which is limited by the geometry of the arrangement, with respect to one another. The advantage of this embodiment is that the laser beam plays a supporting role in the ignition and maintenance of the plasma. Moreover, this makes it possible to realize a compact structure of a laser-plasma hybrid welding process. In a second advantageous embodiment of the laser-plasma hybrid welding process according to the invention, the laser beam runs outside the microwave-transparent tube. In this case, it is possible, in a suitable arrangement, for the laser for generating the laser beam outside the hollow waveguide arrangement for generation of the plasma jet to be positioned in such a manner that the laser beam and the plasma jet cross one another on the surface or in the region close to the surface of the work piece which is to be welded. Furthermore, the laser beam and the plasma jet may also be arranged in such a manner with respect to one another that the laser beam precedes the plasma jet in the welding process, or vice versa. This allows the quality of the weld seam to be improved and the welding speed to be increased. Particularly advantageous plasma properties result by means of the electrode-free laser-plasma hybrid welding process according to the invention. For example, the specific enthalpy of the plasma and the associated enthalpy flow density of the plasma are increased. In view of this effect, the plasma temperature of the plasma and of the plasma jet is increased. This provides advantages in terms of an increased welding speed and lower weld seam costs compared to the laser-plasma hybrid welding process disclosed in the prior art. The laser-plasma hybrid welding process according to the invention therefore provides an electrode-free laser-plasma hybrid welding process which offers considerable advantages in terms of operating economics and applications combined, at the same time, with a wide range of uses for the welding process. Moreover, the properties of the plasma jet with regard to a reduced diameter and a reduced jet angle divergence are improved. Furthermore, the cylinder-symmetrical plasma jet opens out in parallel in the process according to the invention. The tangential feeding of the process gas into the microwave-transparent tube causes an axial flow component directed toward the gas outlet opening of the tube to form in the tube. This assists with the generation in accordance with the invention of a plasma jet with a low beam angle divergence. On account of the radial acceleration which is caused by the process gas being fed in tangentially and is further boosted by the narrowing of the cross section of the nozzle in the direction of the nozzle outlet, the nonuniformly accelerated free charge carriers move toward the nozzle outlet on ever narrower spiral paths, with the result that the centripetal acceleration of the charge carriers increases. This movement is maintained by the charge carriers even after they have emerged from the nozzle into the working space. Since there is no local charge neutrality on account of the different ion and electron mobility, an axially oriented magnetic field, which leads to a flow constriction of the plasma jet after it emerges from the nozzle (z pinch), is induced in the plasma jet. This is because of the magneto-hydrodynamic effect (MHD effect). A further advantage of the process according to the invention is that the plasma jet can be generated by means of inexpensive and robust high-frequency systems, e.g. a magnetron or klystron. These high-frequency systems advantageously make microwave sources in the required power range up to 100 kW and frequency range from 0.95 GHz to 35 GHz available. In particular, it is possible to use microwaves with a frequency of 2.46 GHz, since this involves inexpensive microwave sources which are in widespread use in industry and domestic applications. On account of the electrode-free generation of plasma, there is no restriction in the process according to the invention in terms of the process gases which can be used. Therefore, the process according to the invention solves the problem of the prior art whereby in the case of electron-induced plasmas reactions occur between the process gases used and the electrode materials, for example leading to the formation of tungsten oxide or tungsten nitride in the case of tungsten electrodes or leading to hydrogen embrittlement. It is therefore possible for the specific enthalpy of the plasma to be increased, in combination with an improved heat conduction between plasma and work piece, by suitable selection of gases or gas mixtures which are appropriate to the process. Moreover, on account of the electrode-free laser-plasma hybrid welding, the introduction of undesired electrode material into the weld metal is avoided. Furthermore, a disruption-free, unmanned and automated welding process is possible without worn parts having to be constantly replaced. A further advantage of the laser-plasma hybrid welding process according to the invention is that the heat-affected zone of the plasma jet on the work piece is significantly reduced, which leads to a lower introduction of heat, a reduced work piece distortion and a drop in the levels of damage to the material. Moreover, the laser-plasma hybrid welding process according to the invention allows defect-free welding in terms of reduced weld undercuts and a low porosity in the weld seam. To ensure reliable operation and reliable ignition of the plasmas required for the process according to the invention, in an advantageous embodiment of the invention the cross section of the hollow waveguide which is provided for guiding the microwaves is narrowed. In this case, the hollow waveguide is preferably narrowed at the location at which the microwave-transparent tube is guided through the hollow waveguide. The hollow waveguide and the tube are oriented perpendicular to one another in an expedient embodiment of the invention. The advantage of this is an increase in the electrical field strength at the location of the narrowed cross section. This firstly improves the ignition properties of the process gas and secondly increases the power density of the plasma. In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is also possible for a spark gap to be used to ignite the plasma. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>The invention relates to a process for laser-plasma hybrid welding. U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,343 describes a fixture in which a laser welding process and a conventional plasma welding process, for example tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) or metal active gas welding (MAG), are combined with one another. In this case, an arc burns between a non-melting electrode, usually a tungsten electrode, and the work piece, with the work piece being partially melted. The laser beam is focused onto the work piece by means of a lens system. The lens system and the electrode are arranged concentrically with respect to one another. The laser beam can then be used to concentrate a high energy output in a narrow and deep area of the partially melted work piece. A further process for the welding of work pieces by means of laser-plasma hybrid welding is described in German publication DE 195 00 512 A1. In this case, the laser beam used to weld the work pieces and the arc are arranged at an angle to one another. In this known process too, the arc burns between an electrode and the work piece. The known processes have proven to have the drawback that the welding speed is relatively low on account of the current intensity being limited by the service life of the electrode, leading to a limited arc power. Moreover, on account of the relatively high thermal conductivity of the work pieces which are to be welded, a considerable proportion of the heat which is introduced into the work piece flows away into the environment of the weld seam. This results in further drawbacks with regard to a high thermal load on the work piece, leading to considerable distortion of the work piece. A further drawback is the restricted use of process gases. For example, it is customary for noble gases to be used as process gas in the known processes. The use of oxygen, for example, and other process gases which are corrosive with respect to the electrode materials is not possible. On account of the high arc divergence of the plasma jet and the associated low power density introduced into the work piece, a high-power laser is required for the known laser-plasma hybrid welding processes. Further drawbacks include the low long-term stability and also the cost-intensive structure and operation of conventional laser-plasma hybrid welding systems. It is an object of the invention to provide a process for laser-plasma hybrid welding in which the investment and operating costs of the laser-plasma hybrid welding process can be reduced and the welding speed can be increased. This object is achieved by the claimed invention. Advantageous embodiments of the invention form the subject matter of subclaims. According to the invention, a free microwave-induced plasma jet is used for the laser-plasma hybrid welding, and this jet is generated in the following way: microwaves which are guided in a hollow waveguide are generated in a high-frequency microwave source. The process gas is introduced into a microwave-transparent tube, which comprises a gas inlet opening and a gas outlet opening, at a pressure p≧1 bar, through the gas inlet opening of the tube, in such a manner that it has a tangential flow component. A plasma is generated in the microwave-transparent tube by means of electrode-free ignition of the process gas, and this plasma is then introduced into the working space through a metallic nozzle arranged at the gas outlet opening of the tube, with the result that the plasma jet is generated. The work piece to be welded is in particular located in the working space. The laser beam is advantageously generated in a solid-state laser, in particular an Nd-YAG laser, or in a gas laser, in particular a CO 2 laser or excimer laser. However, it is also possible for the laser beam to be generated in a diode laser. In a first advantageous embodiment of the invention, the laser beam runs through the microwave-transparent tube and through the opening of the nozzle into the working space. In this case it is possible, for example, for the laser beam and the plasma jet to run concentrically with respect to one another. Given a correspondingly large opening diameter of the nozzle, however, it is also possible for the laser beam and the plasma jet to run at a predeterminable angle, which is limited by the geometry of the arrangement, with respect to one another. The advantage of this embodiment is that the laser beam plays a supporting role in the ignition and maintenance of the plasma. Moreover, this makes it possible to realize a compact structure of a laser-plasma hybrid welding process. In a second advantageous embodiment of the laser-plasma hybrid welding process according to the invention, the laser beam runs outside the microwave-transparent tube. In this case, it is possible, in a suitable arrangement, for the laser for generating the laser beam outside the hollow waveguide arrangement for generation of the plasma jet to be positioned in such a manner that the laser beam and the plasma jet cross one another on the surface or in the region close to the surface of the work piece which is to be welded. Furthermore, the laser beam and the plasma jet may also be arranged in such a manner with respect to one another that the laser beam precedes the plasma jet in the welding process, or vice versa. This allows the quality of the weld seam to be improved and the welding speed to be increased. Particularly advantageous plasma properties result by means of the electrode-free laser-plasma hybrid welding process according to the invention. For example, the specific enthalpy of the plasma and the associated enthalpy flow density of the plasma are increased. In view of this effect, the plasma temperature of the plasma and of the plasma jet is increased. This provides advantages in terms of an increased welding speed and lower weld seam costs compared to the laser-plasma hybrid welding process disclosed in the prior art. The laser-plasma hybrid welding process according to the invention therefore provides an electrode-free laser-plasma hybrid welding process which offers considerable advantages in terms of operating economics and applications combined, at the same time, with a wide range of uses for the welding process. Moreover, the properties of the plasma jet with regard to a reduced diameter and a reduced jet angle divergence are improved. Furthermore, the cylinder-symmetrical plasma jet opens out in parallel in the process according to the invention. The tangential feeding of the process gas into the microwave-transparent tube causes an axial flow component directed toward the gas outlet opening of the tube to form in the tube. This assists with the generation in accordance with the invention of a plasma jet with a low beam angle divergence. On account of the radial acceleration which is caused by the process gas being fed in tangentially and is further boosted by the narrowing of the cross section of the nozzle in the direction of the nozzle outlet, the nonuniformly accelerated free charge carriers move toward the nozzle outlet on ever narrower spiral paths, with the result that the centripetal acceleration of the charge carriers increases. This movement is maintained by the charge carriers even after they have emerged from the nozzle into the working space. Since there is no local charge neutrality on account of the different ion and electron mobility, an axially oriented magnetic field, which leads to a flow constriction of the plasma jet after it emerges from the nozzle (z pinch), is induced in the plasma jet. This is because of the magneto-hydrodynamic effect (MHD effect). A further advantage of the process according to the invention is that the plasma jet can be generated by means of inexpensive and robust high-frequency systems, e.g. a magnetron or klystron. These high-frequency systems advantageously make microwave sources in the required power range up to 100 kW and frequency range from 0.95 GHz to 35 GHz available. In particular, it is possible to use microwaves with a frequency of 2.46 GHz, since this involves inexpensive microwave sources which are in widespread use in industry and domestic applications. On account of the electrode-free generation of plasma, there is no restriction in the process according to the invention in terms of the process gases which can be used. Therefore, the process according to the invention solves the problem of the prior art whereby in the case of electron-induced plasmas reactions occur between the process gases used and the electrode materials, for example leading to the formation of tungsten oxide or tungsten nitride in the case of tungsten electrodes or leading to hydrogen embrittlement. It is therefore possible for the specific enthalpy of the plasma to be increased, in combination with an improved heat conduction between plasma and work piece, by suitable selection of gases or gas mixtures which are appropriate to the process. Moreover, on account of the electrode-free laser-plasma hybrid welding, the introduction of undesired electrode material into the weld metal is avoided. Furthermore, a disruption-free, unmanned and automated welding process is possible without worn parts having to be constantly replaced. A further advantage of the laser-plasma hybrid welding process according to the invention is that the heat-affected zone of the plasma jet on the work piece is significantly reduced, which leads to a lower introduction of heat, a reduced work piece distortion and a drop in the levels of damage to the material. Moreover, the laser-plasma hybrid welding process according to the invention allows defect-free welding in terms of reduced weld undercuts and a low porosity in the weld seam. To ensure reliable operation and reliable ignition of the plasmas required for the process according to the invention, in an advantageous embodiment of the invention the cross section of the hollow waveguide which is provided for guiding the microwaves is narrowed. In this case, the hollow waveguide is preferably narrowed at the location at which the microwave-transparent tube is guided through the hollow waveguide. The hollow waveguide and the tube are oriented perpendicular to one another in an expedient embodiment of the invention. The advantage of this is an increase in the electrical field strength at the location of the narrowed cross section. This firstly improves the ignition properties of the process gas and secondly increases the power density of the plasma. In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is also possible for a spark gap to be used to ignite the plasma. |
Tropospheric volume elements enriched with vital elements and/or protective substances |
Tropospheric volume elements enriched with vital elements and/or protective substances as well as procedures for their production and application. The term “vital elements” applies to all matter supporting the development of life within the earth's biosphere and the term “protective substances” means all those substances which contribute directly or indirectly to the prevention of harmful effects on the earth's biosphere and in particular on man. Tropospheric volume elements in the form of clouds which contain contaminants and which can escape from industrial facilities due to damage or malfunction are enriched with protective substances which prevent the organism from taking in radioactive elements and minimize the extent of the area affected by the clouds and possess additional warning and identification properties. |
1. Tropospheric volume element having a lasting enriched concentration of at least one vital element (essential element) and/or at least one protective substance in comparison to its presently existing composition of elements and matter. 2. Tropospheric volume element according to claim 1, comprising an increased concentration of at least one protective substance chosen from the group consisting of compounds producing hydroxyl radicals, pigments, absorbents, adsorbents, chemisorbents, aqueous solutions, odorants, irritating substances, gustatory substances, fog-forming substances, hygroscopic substances, substances containing iodine. 3. Tropospheric volume element according to claim 1, comprising at least one protective substance and/or at least one vital element chosen from the group consisting of iron compounds and titanium compounds. 4. Tropospheric volume element according to claim 1, which is located in a region above land that is polluted by traffic and/or industry, and which has an increased concentration of at least one protective substance. 5. Tropospheric volume element according to claim 1, which is located in a region that is polluted by traffic and/or industry, and which comprises an increased concentration of at least one protective substance to be chosen from the group consisting of the elements bonded to oxygen or nitrogen. 6. Tropospheric volume element according to claim 1, which is a cloud carrying contaminants and originating from an accident and which has an increased concentration of at least one protective substance. 7. Tropospheric volume element according to claim 1, which is a cloud carrying contaminants and originating from an accident and which has an increased concentration of at least one protective substance selected from the group consisting of pigments, absorbents, adsorbents, chemisorbents, aqueous solutions, odorants, irritating substances, gustatory substances, fog-forming substances, hygroscopic substances, and substances containing iodine. 8. Tropospheric volume element according to claim 1, which is located in a region marked by a lack of vital elements and which contains an increased concentration of at least one vital element which is lacking. 9. Method for producing tropospheric volume elements according to claim 1, wherein the volume elements are produced by the addition of at least one vital element and/or at least one substance containing a protective substance selected from the group consisting of powders, fogs, and or gases which are inclined to precipitate in a delayed manner. 10. Procedure for producing volume elements according to claim 1, wherein the volume elements are produced by the addition of flue gas that contains at least one vital element and/or at least one protective substance. 11. Flue gas for the production of tropospheric volume elements according to claim 1 containing at least one vital element and/or at least one protective substance. 12. Fuels and fuel additives for the production of tropospheric volume elements according to claim 1 which on combustion produce flue gas which is enriched with at least one vital element and/or one protective substance. 13. Fuels and fuel additives for the production of tropospheric volume elements according to claim 1 containing one or more substances selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, natural gas, liquid gas, mineral oil, refined mineral oil products, pyrolysis oil, oils processed from renewable raw materials, diesel oil, kerosene, light oil, heavy oil, silicon oil, gasoline, methanol, metal, and metalloid and containing, in enriched form, at least one vital element and/or at least one substance which on pyrolysis and/or on combustion results in its conversion into a protective substance. 14. Method for the removal of contaminants from the tropospheric volume elements according to claim 1 comprising adding flue gases containing protective substances to said volume elements. 15. Method for the removal of smog from the tropospheric volume elements according to claim 1 comprising adding flue gases containing protective substances to said volume elements. 16. Method for the removal of radioactive elements from the tropospheric volume elements according to claim 1 comprising adding flue gases containing protective substances to said volume elements. 17. Method for the removal of toxic substances from the tropospheric volume elements according to claim 1 comprising adding flue gases containing protective substances to said volume elements. 18. Method for the removal of microbes from the tropospheric volume elements according to claim 1 comprising adding flue gases containing protective substances to said volume elements. 19. Method for photolytic purification of waste air or fresh air currents according to claim 1 comprising adding flue gases containing protective substances to said waste air or fresh air currents. 20. Method for increasing the growth of phyto-plankton under a tropospheric volume element according to claim 1 comprising adding flue gases containing vital elements to the tropospheric volume element. 21. Method for cooling the tropospheric climate comprising injecting flue gases containing vital elements and/or protective substances into one or more tropospheric volume elements according to claim 1. 22. Safety installation for nuclear power plants and/or facilities for handling or storing toxic substances and/or harmful microbes, comprising a device for the production and/or conditioning of flue gas that contains at least one protective substance and which is suitable for injecting the flue gas that has been produced and/or conditioned into the tropospheric volume element according to claim 1, containing the cloud caused by accident and carrying toxic, virulent or radioactive substances,. 23. Safety installation according to claim 22 comprising a device for the production and/or conditioning of flue gas which contains at least one protective substance selected from the group consisting of iodine compounds, pigments, iron oxides, soot, substances producing acids, substances producing alkali, fog-forming substances, hygroscopic substances, odorants, gustatory substances, aromatic substances, irritating substances, sorbents, adsorbents, absorbents, chemisorbents and steam. 24. Tropospheric volume element according to claim 5, wherein said elements bonded to oxygen or nitrogen are selected from the group consisting of titanium, iron, silicon, zirconium and cerium. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>This invention relates to tropospheric volume elements enriched with vital elements and/or protective substances as well as the procedures for their production and application. The term “vital elements” applies to all matter supporting the development of life within the earth's biosphere and the term “protective substances” means all those substances which contribute directly or indirectly to the prevention of harmful effects on the earth's biosphere and in particular on man. Tropospheric volume elements according to the invention are enriched with vital elements and/or protective substances. Tropospheric volume elements in the form of clouds which contain contaminants and which can escape from industrial facilities due to damage or malfunction are enriched with protective substances which prevent the organism from taking in radioactive elements and minimize the extent of the area affected by the clouds and possess additional warning and identification properties. Enriched tropospheric volume elements may offer numerous advantageous effects, the most important of which are: Climate cooling and climate stabilization Increase of food production Production of methane hydrate and kerogen as renewable energy sources Reduction in all sorts of air pollutants Increase of precipitation and Reduction of the extent of damage and the number of victims due to nuclear reactor accidents. The components of the environment include the populated and the unpopulated parts of the earth's surface and neighboring areas, including the atmosphere, the surface of the earth, ground, sediment, sediment surface, stretches of water and ecological systems. These components are linked with each other by cycles of material exchange which are all connected to each other by partly instable flux exchange balances. Consequently, the complex system may exist in differing, more or less stable phases. Relatively minor causes may trigger off the transition from one phase to another. Climate phase transitions are recognized as being particularly disadvantageous. The geological climate history of the ice age has shown us that the transition of the earth's climate from the ice age's cold climate to the warm age's hot climate may only take a few years to be completed. At present, we are experiencing the transition from the moderate to the hot climate phase. This is a result of the rise in the quantities of greenhouse gases methane and CO 2 which has been caused by man since the early 19 th century, whereby the methane content growth is also coupled with the troposphere's diminishing power of self-purification. The increase in methane in the troposphere is also coupled with the decomposition of solid methane hydrate in the tundra moor sediments and in the ocean sediments to free quantities of methane due to the rise in temperature. There has been a demand for large-scale geo-engineering projects (P. J. Crutzen, Nature, Vol. 415 of Jan. 3, 2002) for a lasting correction of the climate development in the near future. There have been various proposals on how to prevent the transition to the hot climate phase; the enrichment of the stratosphere with aerosols with sulfur dioxide (M. Budyko) or soot (P. J. Crutzen) is supposed to cool the troposphere. The costs for such a project are estimated to be more than 20 billion US $ (Graedel, T. E., Crutzen, P. J.: Chemie der Atmosphäre, Spektrum Ahademischer Verlag, Heidelberg/Berlin/Oxford [1994], pages 457, 458). At present, attempts are being made to come to international agreements to reduce the release of carbon dioxide by limiting the combustion of fossil energy sources. However, the attempts to gain acceptance of the so-called Kyoto protocol have shown that such a measure cannot be put into practice world-wide. Without intervention, the warming of the troposphere will continue. The result will be an increase in food scarcity and an increase in the area of land which is salted and devastated. The continuous growth of the world's population will cause a rise in distribution conflicts. Overgrazing, fire clearance and ground erosion will accelerate this negative development. In spite of an increase in the utilization of sea area for fish farming, over-fishing of the oceans has already prompted a dramatic recession in food production. In the near future, fossil fuel resources are also expected to run short. A compensation by extension of alternative energy sources and energy-saving measures cannot be enforced in the world's poorer regions due to the required investments. The Chernobyl disaster was triggered off due to the nuclear fission of nuclear fuel in the reactor running out of control; the cloud of radioactive flue gas released by the nuclear reaction and the fire the nuclear reaction caused in the reactor and moderator unit struck large parts of Europe. Terror acts, such as crashing civilian large capacity aircraft onto the towers in New York, have shown that catastrophes repeat themselves. Safety scenarios which have not considered this, have since lost their validity. In all of the nuclear power plants world-wide, there are no safety installations which are capable of reducing the spread of radioactive clouds, which can occur when a nuclear reactor runs out of control, which can limit their effects and which can mark the emission visibly for everybody at the affected spots. The argument that nuclear power plants will be put out of operation world-wide within a few decades is unacceptable, as even the German authorities have guaranteed the operation of at least some nuclear power plants for more than thirty years to come. In Europe, the erection of new nuclear power plants continues, the latest examples of which are the nuclear power plant built in Temelin and another planned in Finland. There are also no safety installations for the treatment and identification of toxic clouds in those industrial facilities which handle highly toxic materials or dangerous microbes. |
<SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>According to the invention, the bundle of problems pictured above is solved by the production of definite tropospheric volume elements enriched with vital elements and/or protective substances. Here, “vital elements” means all elements which support the development of life within the earth's biosphere and “protective substances” means all those substances which contribute directly or indirectly to the prevention of harmful effects on the earth's biosphere and the life-forms it contains. The production of tropospheric volume elements enriched with protective substances and/or vital elements, which may be of global, regional or local extent, is carried out preferably by releasing flue gases according to the invention into the tropospheric air space above the desired area to be affected. The purpose of the addition of flue gases according to the invention is the distribution of protective substances and/or vital elements in the troposphere over the desired area to be affected, to have them remain there for a period of time before they finally sink down onto the surface of the ground and/or water. The flue gases according to the invention used for this purpose are enriched with protective substances and/or vital elements. Belonging to the substances under the term protective substances are also those substances which will develop into protective properties in particular in the troposphere. |
Inflatable apparatus |
A compression sleeve (1) comprises two sheets of laminated materials welded to form a number of airtight chambers (P1, P2 and P3) between the two layers. Restrictors (5 and 6) interconnect the chambers (P1, P2 and P3). Chambers (P2 and P3) also have orifices (8 and 9) of a predetermined size for exhaust of air to atmosphere. Chamber (P1) is provided with a conduit (14) connecting chamber (P1) to the pump (2). Compressed air is supplied to chamber (P1) by conduit (14). The compressed air inflates the subsequent chambers (P2, P3) through restrictors (5 and 6), giving a sequential rise in pressure to each chamber (P2 and P3). The orifices (8 and 9) to atmosphere, control the leak rate out of each chamber (P2, P3) and are sized to give a predetermined pressure gradient between chambers (P1, P2, P3). The pressure is lower in the successive chambers (P1, P2 and P3), varying the pressure from ankle to calf to thigh. |
1. A compression sleeve comprising a series of inflatable chambers, the first of the chambers connected to a fluid source, each of the chambers of the series interconnected so that the chambers inflate sequentially with respect to time and pressure, and control means to control the inflation pressure and time in each of the chambers, the control means located within the sleeve. 2. A compression sleeve as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the chambers in the series has means to exhaust to air. 3. A compression sleeve as claimed in claim 1 wherein the chambers are interconnected to each other by restrictors 4. A compression sleeve as claimed in claim 3 wherein the restrictor includes a thin inflexible tube of sufficient length to give the required air flow restriction. 5. A compression sleeve as claimed in claim 1 wherein an anti-kink device comprises the restrictor having a “shepherd's crook” shape. |
Apparatus for mounting a drill on a pipe |
A V-shaped frame (102) is attached to a pipe (100) to be drilled. The frame may be used with larger pipes by attaching a removable extension plates (120) to the arms (104) (106) of the V-shaped frame, thereby increasing the size of the recess between the arms (104, 106). The apparatus may be fixed to the pipe (100) by a chain (110) which connects to the platform (102) and extends around the pipe (100), or by attaching clips to the frame and attaching the clips to the surface of the pipe by screws etc. To attach the apparatus to a pipe having a corrugated outer surface, clamp members (340) extend into the grooves (308″) of the corrugations to grip the groove walls (316). |
1. An apparatus for mounting a drill stand on a pipe having a circumferentially extending groove or grooves in an outer surface of the pipe, comprising a platform for the drill stand, the platform having a pair of support members which, in use, are presented to the pipe and define between them an angle, and a clamp having a pair of clamp members which, in use, extend into the or a respective groove, and means for urging the clamp members against walls of the groove(s), thereby gripping the pipe. 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clamp members are pivotally mounted on the platform to pivot about an axis generally transverse to the pipe axis. 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the clamp members, in use, are pivotably mounted to be orientable along a radius of the pipe. 4. An apparatus as claimed in claims 1, wherein a threaded member is provided to bias a clamp member against a groove wall. 5. An apparatus for mounting a drill stand on a pipe having circumferentially extending grooves in an outer surface of the pipe, comprising a platform for the drill stand, the platform resting on the pipe outer surface, a clamp member which is connected to the platform and extends into said groove, and means for urging the clamp member into engagement with a wall of the groove to hold the apparatus on the pipe. 6. (cancelled) 7. (cancelled) 8. (cancelled) 9. (cancelled) 10. (cancelled) 11. (cancelled) 12. (cancelled) 13. (cancelled) 14. (cancelled) 15. (cancelled) 16. (cancelled) 17. (cancelled) 18. (cancelled) 19. (cancelled) 20. (cancelled) 21. (cancelled) 22. (cancelled) 23. (cancelled) 24. (cancelled) 25. (cancelled) 26. (cancelled) 27. Apparatus for mounting a drill stand on a pipe, the apparatus comprising a frame which rests on the outer surface of the pipe, and an axial extension member extending from the frame, axially of the pipe, to inhibit rocking of the frame on the pipe. 28. Apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein a contact member is mounted in the axial extension member and is adjustable to bear on the pipe surface. 29. Apparatus for attaching a frame to a corrugated pipe surface, the apparatus comprising a gripping member movably mounted on the frame, and means for urging the gripping member into engagement with the sidewall of a pipe corrugation. 30. Apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein two gripping members are provided. 31. Apparatus as claimed in claim 30, wherein pivotal mounting means is provided for pivotally mounting the gripping members on the frame for the members to orient along a radius of the pipe. |
Fitting |
A fitting for connection to a pipe includes a sleeve, in which a body is axially displaced along a sleeve axis, whereby the body has a drill for drilling into the pipe and/or a valve body of a valve. The fitting also includes a branch sleeve, located in particular on the sleeve and to which a branch line can be connected. The fitting is easily constructed in such a way that safety requirements are reliably met and such that a connection to a branch line can be easily established if necessary. According to another aspect of the fitting, a locking device which includes an actuating element is located in the branch sleeve, in such a way that the locking device is actuated by means of the axially displaceable body in the sleeve. |
1-9. (Canceled) 10. Fitting, for connection to pipe, comprising: a connecting piece, having a longitudinal axis, for connection to a main pipe; a fitting body, in said connecting piece, coaxially moveable along said longitudinal axis of said connecting piece; a drill, on said fitting body, for spot-drilling at least one of said pipe, and a valve body of a valve positioned between sections of said pipe; a branch connecting piece, attached to said connecting piece, for connection to a branch pipe of said main pipe; a closing device, with an actuating element, in said branch connecting piece, such that actuation of said closing device is performed in said branch connecting piece by said fitting body. 11. Fitting according to claim 10, wherein said closing device is a safety closing device, which is operative because of a pressure difference between an interior space of said connecting piece and an interior space of said branch connecting piece, to automatically close said branch connecting piece to fluid flow therethrough upon detection of said pressure difference; and which is at least one of actuatable and externally releasable, by axial movement of said fitting body. 12. Fitting according to claim 10, further comprising a closing valve body, with a valve seat, in said closing device. 13. Fitting according to claim 12, wherein said closing valve body is axially moveable relative to an axis of said closing device. 14. Fitting according to claim 13, further comprising a guide body for guiding said closing valve body. 15. Fitting according to claim 14, wherein said actuating element is connected to said guide body. 16. Fitting according to claim 15, wherein said actuating element and said guide body are formed as a single monolithic piece. 17. Fitting according to claim 14, wherein at least one of said actuating element and said guide body are moveable coaxially with said axis of said closing device. 18. Fitting according to claim 17, wherein said actuating element is alternatively moveable between an initial position corresponding to an open position of said closing device and a final position corresponding to a closed position of said closing device, in a direction of an inner space of said connecting piece. 19. Fitting according to claim 18, wherein at least one of said guide body and said actuating element is moveably mounted on a bearing body in a region between said inner space and said closing valve body, with said bearing body being moveable relative to said axis of said closing device. 20. Fitting according to claim 19, further comprising a backing for moving said guide body. 21. Fitting according to claim 20, wherein said backing is positioned on a side of said closing valve body averted from said inner space of said connecting piece. 22. Fitting according to claim 18, wherein said guide body has at least one of an expanding shoulder and a holding element, for limiting movement of said guide body in a direction of said inner space of said connecting piece. 23. Fitting according to claim 20, further comprising a spring element, which intercepts said closing valve body on said backing. 24. Fitting according to claim 23, wherein said spring element surrounds said guide body. |
Device for verifying and monitoring vital parameters of the body |
The invention lies in the domain of medical technology and relates to a diagnosis and monitoring device for the rapid diagnosis and monitoring of vital parameters of the human or animal body, in particular of the heart and/or lungs, said device being compact, without cables and/or tubes and easy to use for the user. Devices such as a bell (1) comprising a membrane (2) and/or measuring electrodes (4, 5) for receiving and forwarding acoustic and/or electric signals of the body are arranged in a housing with a cross-section that is approximately the size of the palm of a hand and a height of approximately half a hand-width, on the side of a housing that is to be placed on the body. Said devices are connected to a device in the housing, which analyses, filters and stores the signals of the receiving device and to additional devices for visually reproducing the evaluated signals in digital or analogue form using display fields (14, 15, 16, 17) and/or for acoustically reproducing said signals using a loudspeaker (9) located in the housing. The diagnosis and monitoring device also comprises interfaces (10, 11) for connecting external devices and equipment (e.g. computer, earphones, printer). The principal characteristics of the invention are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3. |
1. A device for the examination and monitoring of the vital parameters of the human or animal body (Vitaloskop), in the form of a compact Diagnostic Device, which may be used single-handedly and within easy reach of the user, without the necessity for cables and tubes; characteristic in that, fitted in the casing are devices (1, 1″, 2, 2′, 2″; 3; 4, 5; 4′; 4″; 4′″; 34;39;41;43;26; 47), of a size which would fit into the pockets of a doctors coat, of approximately the size of the palm of the hand in width and a length of approximately half a hand, which record and transmit one or more signals of the body; a device for electronic analysis, filtering and data storage of the signals supplied by these recording devices; devices for visual playback in digital and analog form (7, 14, 15, 16) or for acoustic playback (9) of the analysed signals; finally that in the device on its exterior sides, are interfaces units (10, 11, 20, 22) for the connection of external devices and appliances, such as a computer, ear phones, head phones, a printer and measuring electrodes with cables (4″″). 2. A device as in Patent claim 1, characteristic in that the devices for the visual playback of the analysed signals, consist of the operational and display areas with digital display areas (15), amplitude beam display (16) and the necessary operational keys (13) as well as a monitor/screen (7) with curve-fields' display (14), integrated into the operational and display area, which is positioned on the casing of the device, where a number of signals are being recorded, either at the same time or at different times, which can be displayed; the operational and display areas (13, 15, 16) and the monitor/screen (7) are fitted to the upper side of the device, facing away from the body. 3. A device as in Patent claim 1 or 2, characteristic in that the device for the acoustic playback is a speaker (9) with an amplifier and an alarm, integrated into the casing of the entire device, positioned on the side of the entire device, which is facing away from the body. 4. A device as in Patent claim 1 or 2, characteristic in that the device has, for the recording of body signals, a recording unit for electrical signals, in the form of tension fluctuations and/or of impedance measurements and/or temperature measurements, which consists of two or more measuring electrodes (4, 5; 4′; 4″/4′″), which are positioned on one level on the underside of the casing of the entire device, for placing over or onto the body areas being examined. 5. A device as in Patent claim 1 or 3, characteristic in that the device for the recording of body signals is a recording unit for acoustic signals, consisting of a sound funnel (1, 1″), a membrane (2, 2′, 2″) and a microphone (3), whereby the membrane (2, 2′, 2″) is positioned on the underside of the casing of the entire device, for placing over or onto the body areas being examined. 6. A method for measuring the oxygenating levels and circulation levels of the human or animal body, especially the arterial oxygen saturation of the blood, the arterial capillary and venous blood pressure levels and the recapillarisation time, characteristic in that a section of the body is being pushed together in a defined way, by the pressure device, and then the pressure will be released again, whereby this section of the body lies between a light transmitter and a light receiver and is x-rayed, and, during this process, this light is being measured, analysed and correlated. 7. A device for the implementation of the method as in Patent claim 6, characteristic in that with a device as in Patent claim 1 or 2, the recording unit has an opening for the insertion of a body part, for example, a section of a finger, whereby the section of the finger rests with one side on the exterior wall of the module and, with the opposite side of the body part on a dish (33), which is connected to a pressure device (36 to 40) and is horizontally movable on the guide track (35), whereby the dish (33) is being pushed by the pressure shaft (38), and the pressure shaft motor (40), against the inserted section of the finger and the pressure is being regulated and measured via a regulating element (39) on the pressure shaft (38); also, on the dish (33), in the direction of the finger section to be inserted, there is a light transmitter (34), which works together with a light receiver (34′), on the opposite exterior wall of the sensor module. 8. A device as in Patent claim 4, characteristic in that the measuring electrodes (4), on the underside of the device casing, are placed slightly inwards, and each has a receptacle (5), into which a contact substance will be filled, for example, contact gel. 9. A device as in Patent claim 1 and one or more of the Patent claims 2 to 6, characteristic in that one or more measuring electrodes (4′, 4″, 4′″) are used, which are positioned on one level with the membrane (2, 2′, 2″) of the sound funnel (1, 1″). 10. A device as in Patent claim 1 and 8, characteristic in that the measuring electrodes (4′), on the underside of the casing, have a slightly domed surface and/or the measuring electrodes (4′″) have a straight surface. 11. A device as in Patent claim 1 and one or more of the Patent claims 2 to 9, characteristic in that one or more measuring electrodes (4″) are positioned on the underside of the casing, but are movable, and are connected, through a connection cable (19) or as a wireless transmitter/receiver system, with the device and its recording unit for electrical signals. 12. A device as in Patent claim 5, characteristic in that the recording unit for acoustic signals has an exchangeable sound funnel (1″), which is placed in the device casing, by means of a threaded fitting, a bayonet fixing or in another known way, and that the exchangeable membrane (2′) is positioned on the sound funnel (1″). 13. A device as in Patent claim 5, characteristic in that instead of the sound funnel (1, 1″) with the membrane (2, 2″), a sound cylinder (1′) is positioned on the underside of the device, which, at the same time, serves as a fixing for the microphone (3). 14. A device as in Patent claim 1 or 2, characteristic in that the device for the recording of body signals is a recording unit for measuring the mechanical strain/elasticity of the body surface, consisting of the sound funnel (1), which is positioned vertically in the casing and can be adjusted in its height, and additionally works together with a pressure recorder (42, 43) for the recording and transmitting of sound. 15. A device as in Patent claim 1 or 2, characteristic in that the device for the recording of body signals, is a recording unit for measuring the mechanical strain/elasticity of the body surface, consisting of the sound funnel (1), with a membrane (2′), which is light reflective on its inside and is facing the sound funnel, and whereby, facing each other, are a light transmitter (41) and a light receiver (41′) positioned on the sound funnel (1, 1″), which ascertain the different light reflections of the vertical doming of the membrane (2, 2′) and transmit them to the electronic analysis device. 16. A device as in Patent claim 14, characteristic in that instead of the light transmitter (41) and the light receiver (41′), the membrane (2, 2′) is connected to a Piezo element or a Eddy current sensor, which converts the movement or position of the membrane (2, 2′) into electrical/electronic signals during the examination process. 17. A method for the diagnosis of sound transmission, reflection and the resonance properties of areas or tissues of the human or animal body, characteristic in that a percussion element produces standardised sound waves, whose reverberation through the body or the body part, is being received by a recording unit and being analysed by a electronic device. 18. A device for the implementation of the method as in Patent claim 17, characteristic in that the percussion element contains a sound-producing part (27′, 44 to 47), which is inserted into the device according to Patent claim 1 or 2, with which the knocking mechanism (27′) has an electromagnetic drive (44 to 46) for the production of sound, and knocks onto the striking area (47) on the underside of the Diagnostic Device, which also rests on the body part examined. 19. A device for the implementation of the method as in Patent claim 17, characteristic in that the percussion element contains a sound-producing part (26 to 29), which is firmly connected to an exterior wall of the device casing as in Patent claim 1 or 2, but removable and consists of an angled steel elevation (26), whose side is formed by areas facing each other at a right angle, whereby the horizontal side runs on a horizontal level with the underside of the device, and, on the vertical side of the angled steel elevation (26), on its inside in the upper area (29), a leaf spring (28) is positioned, which has a knocking mechanism (27) on its lower/bottom end, and rests held by a spring, on the inside of the horizontal side of the angled steel elevation (26), which produces a knocking sound, when it is lifted and springs back. 20. A device as in Patent claim 1 or one or more of the Patent claims 2 to 17, characteristic in that the device has a usable lamp (31) with a miniaturised light. |
Method and devices for self-dosing a liquid medicament and for controlling the dosage of the same |
The invention lies in the domain of medical technology and relates to a method and devices, which permit a patient to control and dose the administration of a liquid medicament from a container via a tube (4) and a catheter into the vascular system, by regulating the rate of flow of the medicament by means of a variable clamping of the tube ranging from a total block to a complete release this, a dosing element, preferably in the form of a mechanical rocker control switch (3), comprising a rocker (10) is put onto the tube (4), whereby the rocker (10) pivots about the rocker axis (13) pressing against the tube with its longitudinal end, by means of an adjusting coil spring (9), the flow cross-section of the tube (4) is regulated by an adjusting screw (8) on the adjusting coil spring (9) and the medicament flow through the tube (4) can also be regulated by a manually operated trigger switch (11). An electronically controlled, electrically driven radial motor (16) can be used as the dosing element in place of the rocker switch (3), said motor acting on the tube (4) and regulating the flow cross-section of the latter by means of a clamping lever (19) comprising a nose-shaped clamp (20). The method and devices for carrying out said method are illustrated by the accompanying figures. |
1. A method and devices for the self-dosage and the management, meaning the limitation and restriction, of the administered dosage of a liquid medication, characteristic in that, the medication to be administered is inserted into the vascular system of the patient, for example, pain killers, in liquid form, by using a conventional infusion or transfusion system from a container, where the medication is kept ready, via a tube leading to a catheter, whereby the amount of the medication administered and the timing of the administering and the duration thereof, are, in the area of the tube, administered and controlled externally, in that a clamping, releasing and/or complete closing off of the tube takes place, and whereby the amount of the medication administered or its effects can be controlled. 2. The device for the implementation of the method as in Patent claim 1, characteristic in that a dosage element, in the form of a mechanical rocker switch (3), is fitted to the tube (4) in a chosen position, in such a way, that the rocker switch (3) has a tube socket (5), into which the tube is fitted, and is fixed to the casing (15) of the dosage element by means of a lid (6), with screws (7), whereby the rocker switch (3) has a rocker (10), which is levered over the rocker axle (13) with its long end against the tube (4), which can be narrowed in its flow aperture up to the complete closing off and blocking of the flow by an adjustment screw spring (9), affecting the end of the rocker (10), which sits on the tube, and that further the rocker, through the adjusting of the adjustment screw (8) on the adjustment screw spring (9), is regulated in its pressure against the tube (4) and changes its flow cross-section up to the complete closing off of the tube. 3. A device as in Patent claim 2, characteristic in that the rocker switch (3) has a release switch (11), to be operated manually, with a fitted switch spring (12) on the opposite end of the rocker (10), that does not affect the tube (4), whereby the spring is attached to the casing (15) and the release switch (11) works the rocker (10), through the casing and the switch spring (12), and whereby through operating the release switch (11), the flow in the tube (4) is increased or opened completely. 4. A device for implementation of the method as in Patent claim 1, characteristic in that the dosage element is equipped with an electronically controlled and electrically-driven radial motor (16), which has a clamp lever (19) firmly attached to its extended rotation axle (17), which has a nose-shaped clamp (20) on its opposite end affixed the tube (4), and that the tube (4) is fitted into the tube socket (5) on the side opposite to the clamp (20), whereby the rotation axle of the motor (16) changes the position of the clamp lever (19) with its rotation and, therefore, changes or cuts out the pressure of the clamp (20) onto the tube (4) and its flow cross-section; further characteristic in that the regulation of the motor (16) and the position of the clamp lever (19) takes place via the electronics unit (1), which works together with an angled coding device (18) on the rotation axle (17), with which the position of the motor axle (17), or the clamp (20) is measured. 5. A device as in Patent claim 4, characteristic in that a release switch (11), which is operated manually, is attached to the electronics unit (1), which releases the clamp (20) when operated and, further, that adjustment screws (8) are arranged on the electronics unit (1) for the dosage of the medication and for setting the amount and/or the time limitation for the release of the medication. 6. A device as in Patent claim 4, characteristic in that a return spring (21) is fitted to the clamp lever (19) in the area of the clamp (20), which, in case of an interruption to the functioning of the motor (16) or the electronics unit (1), pushes the clamp (20) against the tube (4) and stops the flow. 7. A device for the implementation of the method as in Patent claim 1, characteristic in that the clamp (20) for the tube (4), is controlled in its pressure against the tube (4) via a linear motor or a magnetic valve (22), whereby the linear axle (23) is firmly connected with the clamp (20) and moves with it, and its nose-shaped protrusion, against the tube (4), whereby it should be noted that the dosage element shows the features of the Patent claim 4 to 6. 8. A device as in Patent claim 7, characteristic in that a calibrated screw (24) is attached into the linear axle (23), on its end facing away from the clamp (20), with which the clamp (20) can be released from the tube (4) for the setting of the basis infusion amount. 9. A device for the implementation of the method as in Patent claim 1, characteristic in that the dosage element has a magnetic valve (26) with an attached clamp (20), which has a channel, adapted to accommodate the tube (4), whereby the tube is completely closed off when the tube valve (26) is in its resting position, and the flow through the tube (4) is opened in relation to the set levels when the tube valve is activated, and that the device, it should be noted, shows the features of one or more of the Patent claims 4 to 6. 10. A device as in Patent claim 2 and 3, characteristic in that the dosage element works together with a control or barrier or interruption element (17, 27 to 34) to interrupt the flow of the liquid medication through the tube (4) over defined time intervals, whereby a notched lever (27) sits with one end on the pressure area of the release switch (11) of the rocker switch (3) and, at its opposite end and rotates around an axle (17), that further, between this axle (17) and the end with the release switch (11), is fitted to the notched lever (27), which has a nose-shaped protrusion (29), which firmly grips the outer rim of the notched disc (30), and that further, this notched disc sits on an axle (31′) running parallel to the axle (17) and also parallel to the tube (4), and is driven by a clockwork mechanism (31) on the same axle, whereby the notched disc (30) has one or more indentations in the form of notched disc slots (33) with notched disc lips (32) fitted in front of the outer rim of the notched disc (30), and the notched lever (27), which has, on its side opposite to the release switch (11), a pressure spring, which releases the release switch (11) via the notched lever (27) and therefore completely opens the flow though the tube (4), as soon as, and as long as, the protrusion (29) of the notched lever (27) runs in the notched disc slots (33), during the rotation of the notched disc (30), and that finally, a further release switch (28), arranged in the casing (15) of the device, grips onto the notched lever (27) with its end in front of the axle (17) and opposite to the protrusion (29), and, when pushed down, raises the protrusion (29), and, therefore, cancels the cut-out via the notched disc lip (32). 11. A device as in Patent claim 10, characteristic in that the notched lever (27) is moved by the release switch (11), via the protrusion (29) and the outer rim of the notched disc (30) against the pressure spring (34), which returns to its starting position after the protrusion (29) has left a notched disc slot (33), and that the notched lever (27) and the release switch (11) remain in this position, and the switch can not be released until the notched disc lip (32) pushes against the protrusion (29) of the notched lever (27), and the release switch (28) is pushed. 12. A device as in Patent claim 10, characteristic in that, through the adjustment of the rotation speed of the notched disc (30), via the clockwork mechanism (31) or via the use of notched discs (30′, 30″) with a different number, shape or changed positioning of the notched disc slots (33), or by means of an adjustment to the notched disc (35), the time intervals will be changed of the release switches (1) cut-out unit and of the restriction of the flow through the tube (4). 13. A device as in one or more of the Patent claims 2 to 11, characteristic in that the control of the administered dosage of the liquid medication takes place through a drop counter, a flow measurer or a scale, which are positioned together in the area of the infusion system (reservoir container and tube), and/or takes place by measuring the oxygen saturation of the patients' blood. 14. A device as in one or more of the Patent claims 2 to 12, characteristic in that the release switch (11) is sunken into a protective ring (38) and covered by a lid with a spring (39). 15. A device as in one or more of the Patent claims 2 to 14, characteristic in that the dosage elements are provided with a fastener (36), together with a clasp (37), on their casing (15), with which the elements can be fitted to the arm of the patient from an infusion stand or from another suitable place. 16. A device as in or more of the Patent claims 2 to 15, characteristic in that a display (40) is fitted in the casing (15) of the dosage elements, which displays the number of times that the release switch (11) has been used and other data pertaining to the patient and regarding the release of the medication. |
Silencing device and method for needleless syringe |
The invention provides a silencer and silencing method which ensures adequate silencing with no deleterious increase in back pressure (which creates a lift-off force) or decrease in device performance. Pressurised gas is supplied to a driver chamber by a bleed-hole having an effective bleed-hole area and, during use of the device for particle delivery, gas is vented to the atmosphere via a silencer having an effective venting area. The bleed-hole area and venting area are chosen to ensure that the mass flow rate of gas through the effective venting are is substantially equal to or greater than the mass flow rate of gas through the effective bleed-hole area. This ensures that there is no build up of gas in the silencer device which tends to increase back pressure and hence lift-off force. Preferred embodiments of the device comprise a silencer having a large volume and a small particle exit opening. Further, there is disclosed an embodiment using one or more transfer ducts to assist particle mixing. |
1. A needleless syringe device comprising: an energy source; at least one bleed-hole, said bleed-hole(s) having an effective bleed-hole area for the passage therethrough of pressurized gas from the energy source to a driver chamber to entrain particles and accelerate them into a target; and a silencer for receiving said gas from said driver chamber and for venting that gas to the surroundings of the silencer through at least one silencer vent opening, said vent opening(s) having an effective venting area; wherein said effective bleed-hole area and said effective venting area are such that, during use of the device for particle delivery, the mass flow rate of gas through said effective venting area is substantially equal to or greater than the mass flow rate of gas through said effective bleed-hole area. 2. A needleless syringe device according to claim 1, wherein said energy source is a reservoir of pressurized gas. 3. A needleless syringe device according to claim 2, wherein said effective bleed-hole area and said effective venting area are such that: ( ( γ 1 / R 1 ) ( 1 - γ 1 - 1 2 ) γ 1 - 1 2 ( γ 2 / R 2 ) ( 1 - γ 2 - 1 2 ) γ 2 - 1 2 ) P 0 P S ≤ venting area bleed - hole area ≤ 10 ( ( γ 1 / R 1 ) ( 1 - γ 1 - 1 2 ) γ 1 - 1 2 ( γ 2 / R 2 ) ( 1 - γ 2 - 1 2 ) γ 2 - 1 2 ) P 0 P S wherein γ1 is the ratio of specific heats for the gas in the reservoir, R1 is the gas constant for the gas in the reservoir, γ2 is the ratio of specific heats for the gas in the surroundings, R2 is the gas constant for the gas in the surroundings, P0 is the pressure in the energy source after gas has been received by said silencer and PS is the pressure in the silencer after gas has been received by said silencer. 4. A needleless syringe device according to claim 3, wherein said effective bleed-hole area and said effective venting area are such that: 1.2 ( ( γ 1 / R 1 ) ( 1 - γ 1 - 1 2 ) γ 1 - 1 2 ( γ 2 / R 2 ) ( 1 - γ 2 - 1 2 ) γ 2 - 1 2 ) P 0 P S ≤ venting area bleed - hole area . 5. A needleless syringe device according to claim 4, wherein said effective bleed-hole area and said effective venting area are such that: venting area bleed - hole area ≤ 5 ( ( γ 1 / R 1 ) ( 1 - γ 1 - 1 2 ) γ 1 - 1 2 ( γ 2 / R 2 ) ( 1 - γ 2 - 1 2 ) γ 2 - 1 2 ) P 0 P S . 6. A needleless syringe device according to claim 1, wherein said silencer comprises: a shroud having a predetermined volume for containing said gas received from said driver chamber prior to venting it. 7. A needleless syringe device according to claim 6, wherein said shroud comprises: a particle exit opening to be pressed against said target during use so that said particles may pass through said opening and into said target. 8. A needleless syringe device according to claim 7, wherein the silencer shroud and driver chamber each have a respective volume, and wherein said particle exit opening has an area such that a lift off force on the device during use is less that 20N. 9. A needleless syringe device according to claim 7, wherein the silencer shroud and driver chamber each have a respective volume, and wherein said particle exit opening has an area such that a lift off force on the device during use is less that 15N. 10. A needleless syringe device according to claim 6, wherein said shroud has a volume greater than that of said driver chamber by at least 5 times. 11. A needleless syringe device according to claim 6, wherein said shroud comprises: elements which restrict the cross-sectional area of the shroud to attenuate shockwaves that pass along said shroud. 12. A needleless syringe device according to claim 6, wherein said shroud is provided with at least one hole forming said at least one silencer vent opening. 13. A needleless syringe device according to claim 12, wherein said at least one hole is/are located substantially in an upstream end of the device. 14. A needleless syringe device according to claim 6, further comprising: a cover to create an annular channel for the passage of gas from said shroud to the surroundings. 15. A needleless syringe device according to claim 14, further comprising: a plurality of baffles in said annular channel to interact with the gas flow out of said shroud. 16. A needleless syringe device according to claim 1, further comprising: a resistive material to breakdown a shockwave travelling through said device. 17. A needleless syringe device according to claim 7, further comprising: a nozzle connected to said driver chamber for expanding the particle-containing gas which flows from said driver chamber. 18. A needleless syringe device according to claim 17, wherein said particle exit opening is no more than 100% larger than the exit area of said nozzle and said opening is axially spaced from said nozzle exit. 19. A needleless syringe device according to claim 1, further comprising: a first and second membrane at a downstream end of the driver chamber, said first and second membranes being spaced apart longitudinally so as to create a particle retention chamber. 20. A needleless syringe device according to claim 19, further comprising: a transfer duct for supplying pressurized gas from said driver chamber to said particle retention chamber. 21. A needleless syringe device according to claim 20, wherein said bleed-hole area and the minimum area of said transfer duct are selected such that, in use, an upstream one of said membranes bursts before a downstream one of said membranes. 22. A needleless syringe device according to claim 21, wherein, in use, said downstream membrane bursts more than 2 ms after gas starts to flow through said transfer duct. 23. A method of silencing a particle-accelerating gas flow, the method comprising: (a) supplying pressurized gas through a bleed-hole at a first mass flow rate; (b) accelerating particles with said pressurized gas so supplied such that said particles will achieve a velocity sufficient to penetrate into a target; and (c) receiving said gas in a silencer and venting said received gas to the surroundings through at least one silencer vent opening at a second mass flow rate; wherein said second mass flow rate is substantially equal to or greater than said first mass flow rate. 24. A method according to claim 23, wherein said step (a) comprises: supplying pressurized gas to a driver chamber so as to build up the gas pressure in said driver chamber. 25. A method according to claim 24, further comprising: bursting a membrane so as to supply gas to a nozzle downstream of said driver chamber. 26. A method according to claim 25, wherein step (b) comprises: entraining particles located adjacent said membrane in said pressurized gas; and accelerating said particle-containing gas in said nozzle. 27. A method according to claim 23, further comprising: passing said gas received in said silencer past restrictions and/or baffles in said silencer to attenuate any shockwaves in the gas prior to venting that gas to the surroundings. 28. A needleless syringe device comprising: an energy source; at least one bleed-hole, said bleed-hole(s) having an effective bleed-hole area for the passage therethrough of pressurized gas from the energy source to a driver chamber; a first closure located at a downstream end of said driver chamber; a second closure located downstream of said first closure to create a particle retention chamber therebetween; and at least one transfer duct providing a gas flow path between said driver chamber and said particle retention chamber; wherein said effective bleed-hole area and the minimum area of said transfer duct(s) are selected such that, in use, said first closure opens before said second closure, and wherein said second closure opens at least 2 ms after gas starts to flow through said transfer duct(s). 29. A needleless syringe device according to claim 28, wherein said first and second closures are rupturable membranes which open by rupturing. 30. A needleless syringe device according to claim 28, wherein said second closure opens at least 3.5 ms after gas starts to flow through said transfer duct(s). 31. A needleless syringe device according to claim 28, wherein said second closure opens at least 5 ms after gas starts to flow through said transfer duct(s). 32. A method of uniformly accelerating particles in a gas flow, the method comprising: (a) supplying pressurized gas to a driver chamber; (b) supplying some of said pressurized gas in said driver chamber to a particle retention chamber downstream of said driver chamber to thereby fluidize said particles; (c) opening an upstream closure of said particle retention chamber; and (d) opening a downstream closure of said particle retention chamber; wherein said downstream closure opens at least 2 ms after said supplying step (b) starts. 33. A method according to claim 32, wherein said gas is supplied to said driver chamber in step (a) via a bleed-hole. 34. A method according to claim 32, wherein said pressurized gas is supplied to said particle retention chamber in step (b) via one or more transfer ducts. 35. A method according to claim 34, wherein said one or more transfer ducts are initially closed by a transfer duct closure which opens upon the supply of pressurized gas to said driver chamber. 36. A method according to claim 32, wherein each closure is a rupturable membrane which opens by rupturing. 37. A method according to claim 32, wherein said downstream closure opens at least 3.5 ms after said supplying step (b) starts. 38. A method according to claim 32, wherein said downstream closure opens at least 5 ms after said supplying step (b) starts. 39. A particle retention assembly comprising: a particle retention chamber bounded by an upstream closure and a downstream closure; and at least one duct providing a gas flow path into said chamber; wherein said duct is constructed to supply gas to said particle retention chamber from a substantially annular space around said particle retention chamber. 40. A particle retention assembly comprising: a particle retention chamber bounded by an upstream closure and a downstream closure; and a first duct providing a first gas flow path into said chamber; wherein said first duct is arranged, in use, to create a first swirl of gas in said particle retention chamber. 41. A particle retention assembly according to claim 40, further comprising: a second duct providing a second gas flow path into said chamber, said second duct being arranged, in use, to create a second swirl of gas in said particle retention chamber. 42. A particle retention assembly according to claim 41, wherein said first and second ducts are arranged to direct said first and second swirls in substantially different directions. 43. A particle retention assembly according to claim 42, wherein said swirls are respectively directed in clockwise and relatively counterclockwise directions. 44. A particle retention assembly according to claim 42, wherein said swirls are created by gas jets directed in different directions. 45. A particle retention assembly according to claim 44, wherein said jets are at least momentarily sonic or supersonic during use of a device comprising the particle retention assembly. 46. A particle retention assembly according to claim 41, wherein said first and second ducts are offset from one another in the direction of gas flow. 47. A particle retention assembly according to claim 46, wherein said offset is substantially the longitudinal length of said particle retention chamber. 48. A particle retention assembly according to claim 41, wherein said first and second ducts are offset from one another circumferentially. 49. A particle retention assembly according to claim 48, wherein said circumferential offset is between 90° and 180°. 50. A particle retention assembly according to claim 48, wherein said circumferential offset is approximately 120°. 51. A particle retention assembly according to claim 41, wherein said first and second ducts are constructed to supply gas to said particle retention chamber from a substantially annular space around said particle retention chamber. 52. A particle retention assembly according to claim 51, wherein said annular space is fluidly connected to a region upstream of said upstream closure. 53. A particle retention assembly according to claim 52, wherein said fluid connection is by means of a series of circumferential ports. 54. A particle retention assembly according to claim 40, further comprising: a closure upstream of said upstream closure to ensure the sterility of the particle retention assembly. 55. A particle retention assembly according to claim 40, wherein said duct is angled to direct gas outwardly against one of said upstream or downstream closures. 56. A particle retention assembly according to claim 40, wherein said closures are provided by membranes that open by rupturing. 57. A needleless syringe device comprising the particle retention claim 40. 58. A method of fluidizing particles in a particle retention chamber, the method comprising: supplying pressurized gas to an annular space around said particle retention chamber; supplying said gas to said chamber using at least one transfer duct so as to fluidize any particles located in said particle retention chamber. 59. A method of fluidizing particles in a particle retention chamber, the method comprising: supplying pressurized gas to a first duct fluidly connected to said particle retention chamber; and creating a first swirl of gas in said particle retention chamber so as to fluidize any particles located in said particle retention chamber. 60. A method of fluidizing particles according to claim 59, further comprising: supplying pressurized gas to a second duct fluidly connected to said particle retention chamber; and creating a second swirl of gas in said particle retention chamber so as to fluidize any particles located in said particle retention chamber. 61. A method of fluidizing particles according to claim 60, wherein said first and second swirls are directed in substantially different directions. 62. A method of entraining a dose of particles in a gas flow in a needleless syringe, said method comprising: fluidizing said dose of particles according to claim 59; opening an upstream closure to entrain said particles in said gas flow; and opening a downstream closure to allow said entrained particles to be swept out of the device. 63. A method according to claim 62, further comprising: firstly opening a further closure upstream of said upstream closure so as to supply said gas to said chamber. 64. A needleless syringe device according to claim 6, wherein said shroud has a volume greater than that of said driver chamber by at least 10 times. 65. A needleless syringe device according to claim 6, wherein said shroud has a volume greater than that of said driver chamber by at least 20 times. 66. (Canceled). |
Insecticidal mixture containing gamma-cyhalothrin |
An insecticidal mixture of gamma-cyhalothrin [(S)-α-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl (Z)-(1R,3R)-3-(2-chloro-3,3,3-tzifluoro-1-propenyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylate] and one or more further active ingredients; compositions containing them and their use. |
1. A mixture of gamma-cyhalothrin and one or more further active ingredients having insecticidal, nematicidal or acaricidal activity wherein the further active ingredient is one or more of thiamethoxam, abamectin, emamectin benzoate, spinosad, chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos-methyl, profenofos, lufenuron, indoxacarb, lambda-cyhalothrin, pymetrozine, methidathion, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, thiacloprid, fipronil, methoxyfenozide, chlorfenapyr, pyridaben, novaluron, pyridalyl and piperonyl butoxide. 2. A mixture according to claim 1 wherein the further active ingredient is one or more of thiamethoxam, abamectin, emamectin benzoate, spinosad, chlorpyrifos, profenofos, lufenuron, indoxacarb and lambda-cyhalothrin. 3. An insecticidal composition comprising gamma-cyhalothrin and one or more further active ingredients having insecticidal, nematicidal or acaricidal activity wherein the further active ingredient is one or more of thiamethoxam, abamectin, emamectin benzoate, spinosad, chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos-methyl, profenofos, lufenuron, indoxacarb, lambda-cyhalothrin, pymetrozine, methidathion, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, thiacloprid, fipronil, methoxyfenozide, chlorfenapyr, pyridaben, novaluron, pyridalyl and piperonyl butoxide, an insecticidally inert carrier or diluent and, optionally, one or more surface active agents. 4. A method of combating and controlling insect, acarine or nematode pests at a locus which comprises treating the pests or the locus of the pests with an effective amount of a mixture comprising gamma-cyhalothrin and one or more further active ingredients having insecticidal, nematicidal or acaricidal activity wherein the further active ingredient is one or more of thiamethoxam, abamectin, emamectin benzoate, spinosad, chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos-methyl, profenofos, lufenuron, indoxacarb, lambda-cyhalothrin, pymetrozine, methidathion, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, thiacloprid, fipronil, methoxyfenozide, chlorfenapyr, pyridaben, novaluron, pyridalyl and piperonyl butoxide. 5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the pests are insect pests of growing plants. |
Microwave desorder |
A microwave desorber is used to remove volatile organic compounds from resins in order to recycle the resins. The desorber includes a container adapted to receive the contaminated resin, and at least one waveguide adapted to introduce microwave energy into the contaminates in the container. A mechanism is provided for moving one of the container and the waveguide relative to the other container and the waveguide to facilitate uniform heating of the contaminants. At least one of the container and the waveguide can be moved, such as oscillated, radially or axially. The contaminated resins can be moved through a preferred radial zone of the container in order to optimize the microwave heating in accordance with the particular contaminates or resins. |
1. The system for removing contaminants adsorbed onto a resin, comprising: a container adapted to receive the contaminated resin; at least one waveguide having an axis and being adapted to introduce microwave energy into the contaminates in the container; and means for moving one of the container and the waveguide relative to the other of the container and the waveguide to facilitate uniform heating of the contaminates. 2. The system recited in claim 1 wherein the moving means has properties for moving the waveguide relative to the container. 3. The system recited in claim 2 wherein the moving means has properties for oscillating the waveguide. 4. The system recited in claim 3 wherein the moving means oscillates the waveguide along the axis. 5. The system recited in claim 3 wherein the moving means oscillates the waveguide radially of the axis. 6. The system recited in claim 1 wherein the moving means rotates the waveguide on the axis. 7. The system recited in claim 1 wherein the container has an axis and the at least one waveguide is disposed coaxially with the container. 8. A system for removing contaminants adsorbed onto a resin, comprising: a container having an outer wall and properties for receiving the contaminated resin; a waveguide disposed in the container and having an inner wall, the waveguide having properties for introducing microwave energy into the container to heat the contaminants on the resin; at least one zone wall disposed in the container between the inner wall and the outer wall, the zone wall defining a preferred zone within the container where optimum characteristics occur for heating the contaminants; and the zone wall being formed of a low loss material having microwave transmission characteristics greater than that of a metal. 9. The system recited in claim 8 wherein the low loss material is a ceramic. 10. The system recited in claim 8 wherein the low loss material is fiberglass. 11. The system recited in claim 8 wherein the zone wall has the shape of a cylinder having a coaxial relationship with the inner wall of the waveguide. 12. The system recited in claim 8 wherein the at least one zone wall includes: a first zone wall disposed between the outer wall of the container and the inner wall of the waveguide; a second zone wall disposed between the first zone wall and the outer wall of the container; and the first zone wall and the second zone wall defining the preferred zone between the inner wall of the waveguide and the outer wall of the container. 13. A method for removing contaminants adsorbed onto a resin, comprising the steps of: providing a container to receive the contaminating resin; positioning at least one waveguide within the container; introducing microwave energy through the waveguide and into the container; during the introducing step, heating the contaminants in the container to free the contaminants from the resin; during the heating step moving one of the container and the waveguide relative to the other of the container and the waveguide to facilitate uniform heating of the contaminant; and withdrawing the freed contaminants from the container. 14. The method recited in claim 13 wherein the moving step includes the step of moving the waveguide relative to the container. 15. The method recited in claim 14 wherein the waveguide has an axis and the moving step comprises the step of rotating the waveguide on its axis. 16. The method recited in claim 15 wherein the rotating step comprises the step of oscillating the waveguide. 17. The method recited in claim 14 wherein the waveguide has an axis and the moving step includes the step of axially moving the waveguide along its axis. 18. The method recited in claim 13 further comprising the steps of: determining a preferred zone within the container where characteristics of the microwave heat are optimized for the contaminants and the resin; moving the resin into the preferred zone; and during the heating step, heating the contaminant in the preferred zone. 19. A method for removing contaminants adsorbed onto a resin, comprising the steps of: providing a container having an axis and an outer wall; positioning along the axis of the container a microwave waveguide having an inner wall; defining a preferred zone in the container between the outer wall of the container and the inner wall of the waveguide, the preferred zone having optimum heating characteristics for heating the contaminant; loading the contaminated resin into the preferred zone; heating the contaminants in the preferred zone with the optimum heating characteristics to separate the contaminants from the resin; and removing the separated contaminants from the preferred zone of the container. 20. A method recited in claim 19 further comprising the step of: moving one of the container and the waveguide relative to the other of the container and the waveguide to facilitate uniform heating of the contaminants during the heating step. 21. The method recited in claim 20 wherein the moving step comprises the step of moving the waveguide relative to the container. 22. The method recited in claim 21 wherein the waveguide has an axis and the moving step includes the step of rotating the waveguide on its axis. 23. The method recited in claim 22 wherein the rotating step includes the step of oscillating the waveguide. 24. The method recited in claim 21 wherein the waveguide has an axis and the moving step includes the step of moving the waveguide along its axis. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for drying materials, and more specifically to microwave apparatus for removing volatile organic compounds from resins. 2. Discussion of the Prior Art Microwaves have been used for many years to remove substances from various materials. In many cases this has occurred in dryers where moisture has been removed from the material using microwave energy. More recently, microwaves have been used to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from resins onto which the VOCs have been adsorbed. In this context the microwave energy is very effective in selectively heating most VOCs. The resin will also heat up to some degree because it is not completely transparent to the microwave energy. With these two heat sources, the VOCs tend to volatilize thereby cleaning the resins for subsequent use, for example in a continuous process. In some cases, a large container having a diameter such as 24 inches has been filled with the contaminated resins. A stationary waveguide has been positioned along the axis of the container and suitably aperatured to release the microwave energy radially outwardly into the resin. In theory, the VOCs are volatized and thereby removed from the resins. A vacuum pump can be used to draw the VOCs from the resin and out of the vessel in either a batch or continuous process for treating the resin. Unfortunately, it has been found that the heat distribution within the large container varies significantly producing both hot spots and cold spots throughout the container. At the hot spots, the VOCs are released from the resin, but at the cold spots, these released VOCs are merely adsorbed back onto the resins. As a result, a relatively low efficiency results requiring considerable time and energy to clean the resin batch. Processes in which the resin flows continuously through the desorber vessel, also suffer, but to a lesser degree, because of the time averaging effect of moving the resin through a certain temperature profile or distribution. |
<SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>In accordance with the present invention, the waveguide along the axis of the container is moved relative to the container. As a result, the microwave energy is more uniformly distributed throughout the container. This relative movement will generally result as the waveguide is moved axially back and forth within a stationary container. The waveguide may also be oscillated and/or rotated on the axis of the container to produce this relative movement. Of course the container could also be moved relative to a stationary waveguide to produce a heat pattern which is more uniformed. It has been found that temperature distributions vary radially within a cylindrical cavity. This distribution can be experimentally or theoretically calculated and an optimal radial section can be chosen for a particular microwave load. By placing the resin within this zone or otherwise passing the resin through this zone, more uniform heat distribution will result in a much higher efficiency and require less time to clean the resins. In one aspect, the invention relates to a system for removing contaminants adsorbed onto a resin. A container is provided to receive the contaminated resin. At least one waveguide having an axis is disposed within the container and adapted to introduce microwave energy into the contaminated resins in the container. A mechanism is provided for moving one of the container and the waveguide relative to the other of the container and the waveguide to facilitate uniform heating of the contaminated resin in the container. This relative movement can result from movement of one or both of the container and waveguide. The movement may be axial or radial and will typically be an oscillating movement. In another aspect of the invention, the container has an outer wall, and the waveguide has an inner wall. At least one zone wall is disposed between the inner wall and the outer wall, and defines a preferred zone within the container where optimum heating characteristics occur for separating the contaminants from the resin. The zone wall can be formed from a low loss material having microwave transmission characteristics greater than that of a metal. A second zone wall can be disposed between the first zone wall and the outer wall of the container. In this case, the preferred zone is spaced from the inner wall of the waveguide and the outer wall of the container. In an additional aspect, the invention includes a method for removing contaminants adsorbed onto a resin. This method includes the steps of providing a container to receive the contaminated resin, and positioning at least one waveguide within the container. Microwave energy is introduced through the waveguide into the contaminated resin to heat the contaminants. This method also includes the step of moving one of the container and the waveguide relative to the other of the container and the waveguide to facilitate heating of the contaminant during the heating step. In a further aspect of the invention, a method for removing contaminants adsorbed onto a resin includes the step of defining a preferred zone in the container between the outer wall of the container and the inner wall of the waveguide. This preferred zone has optimal heating characteristics for heating the contaminant. After the contaminants have been heated to separate them from the resin, the contaminants can be removed from the preferred zone. These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent with a description of the preferred embodiments of the invention with reference with the associated drawings. |
Zero order controlled drug delivery system |
A controlled release dosage form comprising: (i) a tablet core comprising a pharmaceutically active ingredient and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable matrix forming polymers, (ii) a substantially insoluble casing extended over the tablet core covering between 25 to 99% of the surface area of the tablet core, like for example covering only the major surfaces like in FIG. 1 or on major surface and the sidewells like in FIG. 2, the casing resulting from electrostatic deposition of a powder comprising fusible particles onto the tablet core and fusing the particles to form a thin film such that the said electrostatic coated tablet releases the active ingredient with a release profile of active ingredient for 0 to at least 50% by weight release of active ingredient defined by the equations y=k*tn in which y is the fraction of active ingredient released, k is the kinetic constant, t is time, n is the release exponent and n is the range 0.70 to 1.0 i.e. an approximately zero order release profile. |
1. A controlled release dosage form comprising: (i) a tablet core comprising a pharmaceutically active ingredient and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable matrix forming polymers, the tablet core releases the active ingredient with a release profile of active ingredient for 0 to at least 50% by weight release of active ingredient defined by the equations y=k*tn in which y is the fraction of active ingredient released k is the kinetic constant t is time n is the release exponent and n is the range 0.30 to 0.65 (ii) a substantially insoluble casing extended over the tablet core covering between 25 to 99% of the surface area of the tablet core, the casing resulting from electrostatic deposition of a powder comprising fusible particles onto the tablet core and fusing the particles to form a thin film such that the said electrostatic coated tablet releases the active ingredient with a release profile of active ingredient for 0 to at least 50% by weight release of active ingredient defined by the equations y=k*tn in which y is the fraction of active ingredient released k is the kinetic constant t is time n is the release exponent and n is the range 0.70 to 1.0. 2. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the insoluble casing covers from 65 to 95% of the surface area of the tablet core. 3. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the tablet core comprises two major opposing surfaces separated by one or more sidewalls at least the major surfaces being covered by the casing. 4. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the tablet core comprises two major opposing surfaces separated by one or more sidewalls one major surface and the one or more sidewalls being covered by the casing. 5. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the controlled release dosage form has a release profile in which n=0.7 to 1.0 over from 0 to at least 70% by weight release of the active ingredient. 6. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the release profile of the controlled release dosage form requires at least 4 hours to achieve 70% by weight release of active ingredient. 7. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the tablet core comprises a binder selected from acacia, alginic acid, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, dextrin, ethylcellulose, gelatin, glucose, guar gum, hydrogenated vegetable oil, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, magnesium aluminium silicate, Maltodextrin, methylcellulose, polyethylene oxide, povidone, sodium alginate and hydrogenated vegetable oils. 8. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the tablet core additionally comprises a release rate controlling polymer is selected from polymethacrylates, ethylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, methylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, calcium carboxymethylcellulose, acrylic acid polymer, polyethylene glycol, polyethylene oxide, carrageenan, cellulose acetate, glyceryl monostearate and zein. 9. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the tablet core additionally comprises a diluent selected from lactose, cellulose, dicalcium phosphate, sucrose, dextrose, fructose, xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, calcium sulphate, starches, calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate, dextrates, dextrin, kaolin, lactitol, magnesium carbonate, magnesium oxide, maltitol, maltodextrin and maltose. 10. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the tablet core comprises a hydrophobic matrix containing an active ingredient, a hydrophilic matrix containing an active ingredient, or a mixture of hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials. 11. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the active ingredient is selected from acid-peptic and motility influencing agents, laxatives, antidiarrheials, colorectal agents, pancreatic enzymes and bile acids, antiarrhythmics, antianginals, diuretics, anti-hypertensives, anti-coagulants, anti-thrombotics, fibrinolytics, haemostatics, hypolipidaemic agents, anti-anaemia and neurotropenia agents, hypnotics, anxiolytics, anti-psychotics, anti-depressants, anti-emetics, anti-convulsants, CNS stimulants, analgesics, anti-pyretics, anti-migraine agents, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, anti-gout agents, muscle relaxants, neuro-muscular agents, steroids, hypoglycaemic agents, hyperglycaemix agents, diagnostic agents, antibiotics, anti-fungals, anti-malarials, anti-virals, immunosuppressants, nutritional agents, vitamins, electrolytes, anorectic agents, appetite suppressants, bronchodilators, expectorants, anti-tussives, mucolytes, decongestants, anti-glaucoma agents, oral contraceptive agents, diagnostic and neoplastic agents. 12. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the tablet core comprises a polymeric material which swells on contact with aqueous liquid, said swellable polymeric material being selected from cross-linked sodium carboxymethylcellulose, cross-linked hydroxypropylcellulose, high molecular weight hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylamide, potassium methacrylatedivinylbenzene copolymer, polymethylmethacrylate, cross-linked polyvinylpyrrolidone and high molecular weight polyvinylalcohols. 13. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the casing comprises a polymer resin selected from polymethacrylates, cellulose and its derivatives, cellulose ethers and esters and cellulose acetate phthalate. 14. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the casing additionally comprises one or more adjuvants selected from opacifiers, colourants, plasticisers, flow aids and charge control materials. 15. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 14 in which the casing comprises a plasticiser selected from polyethylene glycols, triethyl citrate, acetyltributyl citrate, acetyltriethyl citrate, tributyl citrate, diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, dimethyl phthalate, dibutyl sebacate and glyceryl monostearate. 16. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the casing has an average thickness of from 20 to 50 μM. 17. A solid pharmaceutical dosage form as claimed in claim 1 in which the casing results in a weight gain of less than 4% by weight of the tablet core. |
Camera control apparatus and method |
A camera control apparats (10) comprises a control device (14) for controlling the zoom pan and tilt conditions of a camera. Data relating to the positioning of the camera in pan, tilt and zoom is transmitted to the control means and the control means converts the data into a value in a co-ordinate system, for example (3D) polar co-ordinates. The camera may be controlled and directed by pointing a pointer to an area in the image displayed whereby in response to selection of a point on a display the control means pans and/or tilts the camera so that the image viewed by the camera is centred substantially on the point selected. Still further, an area of the screen can be selected, for example by tracking and dropping a box using a mouse pointer on a computer screen and the control means is arranged to pan and tilt the camera so the image is centred on the centre of the selected area and zoomed so that the selected area becomes substantially the entire image viewed by the camera. In a further aspect a multiple camera control apparatus is provided in which a plurality of cameras may be controlled using the aforesaid control apparatus and the multiple camera control apparatus includes data relating to the location of the cameras with reference to the site plan so that multiple cameras can be co-ordinated to provide better image data, blind spot illumination and “hand over” functionality. Still further a security apparatus is provided in which a camera views an image and the security apparatus includes image processing means and data relating to the site viewed by the camera so as to determine the location and size of an object viewed. |
1-42. cancelled. 43. A camera control apparatus comprising control means for controlling one of a zoom, pan or tilt condition of a camera, feedback means which feeds back a signal regarding the position or state of a camera with reference to said condition and conversion means to convert the feedback signal into a value in a co-ordinate system whereby camera position or state data is associated with image data from an image viewed by the respective camera whereby any particular part of the viewed image is associated with a corresponding particular value in the co-ordinate system. 44. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43, in which two of the zoom, pan or tilt conditions are controlled by the control means and signals according to each are fed back to the conversion means to convert the signals into references in a co-ordinate system. 45. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43, in which all of the zoom, pan and tilt conditions of a camera are controlled by the control means and signals relating to all three conditions are fed back to the conversion means to convert the feedback signals into three references in a co-ordinate system. 46. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43, in which where the pan or tilt conditions are fed back, the co-ordinate system is a 3D polar co-ordinate system. 47. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43, in which where the zoom condition is fed back, the co-ordinate system related to angular field of view. 48. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43, in which, where the zoom condition is fed back, the zoom condition is expressed as a percentage between 0% (minimum zoom) and 100% (maximum zoom). 49. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43, in which the feedback means feeds back a signal relating to the focus of a camera to place that in a co-ordinate system. 50. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43, in which means is provided for determining any delay in the link between the camera and the operator and the control means varies the speed at which it alters the zoom, pan or tilt condition accordingly. 51. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43, in which the apparatus comprises means for determining a shift factor due to a change in one or more of the pan, tilt or zoom conditions of the camera. 52. A camera control apparatus according to claim 51, in which the means for determining a shift factor is arranged on the camera and the shift factor is transmitted to image processing software to enable the change of image to be calculated. 53. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43, in which the apparatus comprises a display, displaying the image viewed by the camera, the apparatus controls on the display whereby in response to selection of a point on the display by means of the pointer, the control means controls the pan and/or tilt condition of the camera so that the image viewed by the camera is substantially centred on the point selected. 54. A camera control apparatus according to claim 53, in which both the pan and tilt conditions of the camera are thus controlled. 55. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43, in which the pan, tilt or zoom conditions of a camera are controlled by the control means and the control apparatus includes a display showing the image viewed by the camera and pointer means on the display whereby the operator can select an area of the image using the pointer on the display and the control means controls the pan and tilt conditions so that the image viewed by the camera is substantially centred on the centre of the selected area and the zoom condition is controlled so that the area selected is substantially the extent of the area display by the camera. 56. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43, in which the zoom condition of a camera is controlled by the apparatus, the control apparatus including a display showing the image viewed by the camera and pointer means on the display whereby the operator can select an area of the image using the pointer on the display and the zoom condition of the camera is controlled so that the area selected is substantially the extent display by the camera after zooming. 57. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43, in which means is provided to select appropriate illumination for the camera subject to the zoom condition. 58. A camera control apparatus according to claim 57, in which a spotlight and a wide area floodlight are provided for the camera and the means for selecting illumination switches between the spotlight and floodlight subject to the zoom condition. 59. A method for controlling a camera comprising the steps of providing control means for controlling one of a zoom, pan or tilt condition of a camera, feeding back a signal from the control means regarding the position or state of the camera with reference to the condition, converting the feedback signal into a value in a co-ordinate system, and associating the position or state data with image data from an image viewed by the camera whereby any particular part of the viewed image is associated with a corresponding particular value in a co-ordinate system. 60. A method for controlling a camera according to claim 59 in which the method comprises the step of controlling all three of the zoom, pan and tilt conditions. 61. A method for controlling a camera according to claim 59 in which the method comprises the further step of determining a link delay between the camera and operator and adjusting the speed at which the control means pans, tilts or zooms the camera so as to prevent overshoot of the camera. 62. A method for controlling a camera according to claim 59 in which the method also includes the step of determining the zoom level of a camera and altering the zoom, pan or tilt speed of the camera so as to prevent overshoot. 63. A method for controlling the camera according to claim 59 in which there are provided the further steps of providing a display showing the image viewed by the camera and providing pointer means on the display, selecting a point on the display by means of the pointer and panning or tilting the camera so that the image viewed by the camera is substantially centred on the point selected on the display. 64. A method for controlling a camera according to claim 63 in which, in addition to re-centering, the method further comprises the step of using the pointer to select an area on the screen, panning and/or tilting the camera so that the image viewed by the camera is substantially centred on the centre of the area selected on the screen becomes the centre of the image viewed by the camera and zooming the camera so that the selected area fills the image viewed by the camera. 65. A method for controlling a camera according to claim 59 further comprising the step of controlling the zoom condition of the camera and using a pointer on a display to select an area of an image, and controlling the zoom condition of the area so that the selected area substantially fills the image viewed by the camera. 66. A method for controlling a camera according to claim 59 in which the method further comprises the step of determining a shift factor of the viewed image corresponding to a change of one of the zoom, pan or tilt conditions of the camera, providing the shift factor to an image process, delta coding the part of the viewed image not subject to the shift factor, providing the delta coding to the image processor and processing a previously viewed image with the shift factor and delta coding to create a new image. 67. A camera control apparatus comprising control means for controlling the pan or tilt condition of a camera, a display showing the image viewed by the camera, pointer means on the display whereby in response to selection of a point on the display by means of a pointer, the control means pans the camera so that the image viewed by the camera is centred and substantially on the point selection. 68. A camera control apparatus comprising control means for controlling the pan, tilt and zoom conditions of the camera, a display showing the image viewed by the camera, pointer means on the display whereby, in response to a selection of an area on the display by means of a pointer, the control means pans and tilts the camera so that the image viewed by the camera is centred substantially on the centre of the selected area and zooms the camera so that the selected area becomes substantially the entire image viewed by the camera. 69. A camera control apparatus comprising control means for controlling the zoom condition of the camera, a display showing the image viewed by the camera, pointer means on the display, whereby, in response to a selection of an area on the display by means of the pointer, the control means zooms the camera so that the selected area becomes substantially the entire image viewed by the camera. 70. A camera control apparatus or method according to claim 64 in which the camera control apparatus and method preferably includes means to determine the optimum size of image displayed dependent upon the aspect ration of the viewing area of the display, so as to fit the image best on the display. 71. A multiple camera control apparatus comprising a plurality of cameras, each having a control apparatus according to claim 43, the multiple camera control apparatus having means for storing data regarding the location of each camera with reference to a site plan, means for receiving data from each camera relating to at least one of the zoom, pan or tilt conditions of the camera and means for controlling the cameras so as to co-ordinate the images viewed by the cameras. 72. A multiple camera control apparatus according to claim 71 in which the data relating to the location of each camera comprises a three dimensional cartesian co-ordinate set whereby the system can determine the three dimensional cone of view of each camera depending upon camera 3-D location, pan, tilt and zoom condition and the site map. 73. A multiple camera control apparatus according to claim 71 in which the apparatus manages handover of a tracked subject from one camera to another. 74. A multiple camera control apparatus according to claim 71 in which the apparatus is arranged to control cameras to eliminate blind spots. 75. A multiple camera control apparatus according to claim 71 in which the operator can select a primary camera and other camera(s) are then controlled by the multiple camera control apparatus, either to train on the relevant field of view or to eliminate blind spots for the primary camera. 76. A multiple camera control apparatus according to claim 71 in which image processing means determine which camera affords the best view of a target and switches that camera to the primary cameras. 77. A multiple camera control apparatus according to claim 71 in which means is provided which analyses pulse patterns from alarm sensors (such as passive infrared sensors) to screen out false alarms. 78. A multiple camera control apparatus according to claim 71 in which image processing means is provided to identify camera failure which can generate an alarm. 79. A multiple camera control apparatus according to claim 78 in which, where neighboring cameras have been suitably located, they are automatically trained by the control apparatus on the stricken camera to see if it is under attack. 80. A multiple camera control apparatus according to claim 71 in which touch screen telemetry is provided which displays a site plan and to view a particular feature, the operator touches it on screen and pictures from all relevant cameras will be transmitted, with the appropriate positions for that feature. 81. A security apparatus comprising a camera, image processing means for processing the image viewed by the camera and means for storing a plan of the site at which the camera is located, whereby the viewed image can be processed vis a vis the site plan so as to determine size and location of an object on the site. 82. A security apparatus according to claim 81 in which the security apparatus includes a camera control apparatus having control means for controlling one of a zoom, pan or tilt condition of a camera, feedback means which feeds back a signal regarding a position or state of a camera with reference to said condition and conversion means to convert the feedback signal into a value in a co-ordinate system whereby camera position or state data is associated with image data from an image viewed by the respective camera whereby any particular part of the viewed image is associated with a corresponding particular value in the co-ordinate system, in which the respective relevant zoom or tilt condition is fed to the image processing means to aid in processing the viewed image. 83. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43 in which an image processor is provided to determine from the viewed image whether a viewed object constitutes a threat. 84. A camera control apparatus according to claim 43 in which the camera position or state data is embedded in the image data. 85. A multiple camera control apparatus according to claim 71 in which the control apparatus includes control means for controlling one of a zoom, pan or tilt condition of a camera, feedback means which feeds back a signal regarding a position or state of a camera with reference to said condition and conversion means to convert the feedback signal into a value in a co-ordinate system whereby camera position or state data is associated with image data from an image viewed by the respective camera whereby any particular part of the viewed image is associated with a corresponding particular value in the co-ordinate system, and an image processor is provided to determine from the viewed image whether a viewed object constitutes a threat. 86. A method of controlling a camera according to claim 59 in which the camera position or state data is embedded in the image data. |
Electrode compositions |
A display device including an anode, a cathode, and a region of an organic electroluminescent material located between the anode and the cathode, wherein the organic electroluminescent material is a blue-light emitter, and the cathode includes a first layer and a second layer located between the first layer and the organic electroluminescent material, the first layer containing aluminum and the second layer containing at least one of sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride. |
1. A display device comprising: an anode; a cathode; and a region of an organic electroluminescent material located between the anode and the cathode; wherein; the organic electroluminescent material is a blue-light emitter; and the cathode comprises a first layer and a second layer located between the first layer and the organic electroluminescent material, the first layer comprising aluminum and the second layer comprising at least one of sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride. 2. A display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first layer consists essentially of aluminum. 3. A display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second layer consists essentially of sodium fluoride or potassium fluoride. 4. A display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second layer comprises sodium fluoride. 5. A display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second layer comprises potassium fluoride. 6. A display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the first layer is in the range from 200 nm to 700 nm. 7. A display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the second layer is in the range from 2 nm to 6 nm. 8. A display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the organic electroluminescent material is a polyfluorene. 9. A display device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the organic electroluminescent material is copolymer of at least one fluorene and at least one triarylamine. 10. A display device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a first power supply coupling on the anode and a second power supply coupling on the first layer of the cathode. 11. A display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second layer is in contact with the organic electroluminescent material. 12. A display device as claimed in claim 1 prepared by a process comprising the step of depositing the first layer on to the organic electroluminescent material at a rate less than 1 A/s by evaporation. 13. A method for forming a display device, comprising: forming a structure comprising an anode and a region of an organic electroluminescent material; depositing in contact with the organic electroluminescent material a cathode comprising a first layer, and a second layer located between the first layer and the organic electroluminescent material, the first layer comprising aluminum and the second layer comprising at least one of sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride. 14. A method for forming a display device as claimed in claim 13, comprising depositing the second layer by evaporation. 15. A method for forming a display device as claimed in claim 14, comprising depositing the second layer at a rate less than 1 A/s. 16. A method for forming a display device as claimed in claim 14, comprising the step of offgassing material from which the second layer is to be deposited prior to depositing the first layer. 17. A method for forming a display device as claimed in claim 13, comprising depositing the first layer by evaporation. 18. A method for forming a display device as claimed in claim 17, comprising depositing a first part of the first layer to be deposited at a rate less than 1 A/s. 19. A method for forming a display device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the thickness of the first part is at least 100 nm. 20. A method for forming a display device as claimed in claim 18 comprising depositing a subsequent portion of the first layer at a rate greater than 5 A/s. 21. A method for forming a display device as claimed in claim 17, comprising the step of offgassing material from which the first layer is to be deposited prior to depositing the first layer. 22. A method for forming a display device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the organic electroluminescent material is a blue-light emitter. 23. A method for forming a display device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the organic electroluminescent material is a copolymer of at least one fluorene and at least one triarylamine. 24. A white light emitting device comprising: an organic light emitting device comprising: an anode; a cathode; and a region of an organic electroluminescent material located between the anode and the cathode; wherein; the organic electroluminescent material is a blue-light emitter; and the cathode comprises a first layer and a second layer located between the first layer and the organic electroluminescent material, the first layer comprising aluminum and the second layer comprising at least one of sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride, the white light emitting device further comprising a phosphor-containing covering at least partially covering the organic light emitting device, the phosphor-containing covering being suitable for partially absorbing light emitted by the organic electroluminescent material and emitting said light at longer wavelengths such that the overall emission from the device is white. 25. A white light emitting device according to claim 24, wherein the phosphor-containing covering comprises green-emitting phosphors and red-emitting phosphors. |
4-oxoimidazolidine-2-spiropiperidine derivatives |
The invention relates to 4-oxoimidazolidine-2-spiropiperidine derivatives represented by a general formula [I] [in which A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 stand for optionally halogen-substituted methine, or nitrogen atom; R1 and R2 stand for lower alkyl or the like; R3 stands for hydrogen or lower alkyl; R4 and R5 stand for hydrogen, or lower alkyl which is optionally substituted with hydroxy, or the like] or salts thereof. These compounds act as nociceptin receptor agonist, and are useful as analgesic, reliever from tolerance to narcotic analgesic, reliever from dependence on narcotic analgesic, analgesic enhancer, antiobestic, drug for ameliorating brain function, remedy for schizophrenia, drug for treating regressive neurodegenerative diseases, antianxiety agent or antidepressant and remedy for diabetes insipidus and polyuria; and the like. |
1. 4-Oxoimidazolidine-2-spiropiperidine derivatives which are represented by a general formula [I] [in which A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 each independently stands for optionally halogen-substituted methine or nitrogen; R1 and R2 each independently stands for lower alkyl, or R1 and R2 are combined to form C3-C12 aliphatic carbocyclic ring group together with the carbon atom to which they bind; R3 stands for hydrogen or lower alkyl; R4 and R5 each independently stands for hydrogen or optionally hydroxyl- or amino-substituted lower alkyl] or salts thereof. 2. The compounds or salts thereof as described in claim 1, in which A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 each independently stands for optionally halogen-substituted methine. 3. The compounds or salts thereof as described in claim 1, in which A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 are unsubstituted methine groups. 4. The compounds or salts thereof as described in claim 1, in which R1 is methyl, and R2 is n-butyl or 2,2-dimethylpropyl. 5. The compounds or salts thereof as described in claim 1, in which R1 is ethyl and R2 is n-butyl or 2,2-dimethylpropyl. 6. The compounds or salts thereof as described in claim 4 or 5, in which R3 is hydrogen or methyl. 7. The compounds or salts thereof as described in claim 1, in which R1 and R2 are combined to form decahydronaphthalene together with the carbon atom to which they bind, and R3 is hydrogen. 8. The compounds or salts thereof as described in claim 1, in which both R4 and R5 are hydrogen. 9. The compounds or salts thereof as described in claim 1, in which either one of R4 and R5 is hydrogen and the other is hydroxyl-substituted lower alkyl. 10. The compounds or salts thereof as described in claim 9, in which the lower alkyl of R4 or R5 is methyl or ethyl. 11. The compounds or salts thereof as described in claim 1, in which the 4-oxoimidazolidine-2-spiropiperidine derivatives are 4-(3-fluorophenyl)-3-(2-hydroxyethyl)-8-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)-1,4,8-triazaspiro[4.5]decan-2-one, 4-(3-fluorophenyl)-8-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)-1,4,8-triazaspiro[4.5]decan-2-one, 4-phenyl-8-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)-1,4,8-triazaspiro[4.5]decan-2-one, 4-phenyl-8-(1-ethylpentyl)-1,4,8-triazaspiro[4.5]decan-2-one, or 8-decahydronaphthalen-2-yl-4-phenyl-1,4,8-triazaspiro[4.5]decan-2-one. 12. Pharmaceutical compositions which contain the compounds represented by the general formula [I] [in which R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 have the same significations as those given in claim 1] or salts thereof. 13. Nociceptin receptor agonists which contain as the active ingredient the c ompounds represented by the general formula [I] [in which R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 have the same significations as those given in claim 1] or salts thereof as the active ingredient. 14. Analgesic, reliever from tolerance to narcotic analgesic; reliever from dependence on narcotic analgesic; analgesic enhancer; antiobestic; drug for ameliorating brain function; remedy for schizophrenia; drug for treating regressive neurodegenerative diseases; antianxiety agent or antidepressant; remedy for diabetes insipidus; remedy for polyuria; remedy for hypotension; anesthetic or anesthetic adminiculum; remedy for sleep disorders or circadian rhythm disorder; drug for improving erectile function; airway dilator or antitussive; or drug for ameliorating motility of digestive tract, which contain the compounds represented by the general formula [I] [in which R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 have the same significations as those given in claim 1] or salts thereof as the active ingredient. 15. A method of producing 4-oxoimidazolidine-2-spiropiperidine derivatives represented by the general formula [I] [in which R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 have the same significations as given in claim 1] or salts thereof, which comprises 1) a step of subjecting a compound of a general formula [II] [in which R1, R2 and R3 have the earlier given significations] and a compound of a general formula [III] [in which R4P and R5P stand for hydrogen or lower alkyl optionally having optionally protected hydroxyl or optionally protected amino group; and A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 have the earlier given significations] to dehydrative condensation; and 2) a step of removing the protective group(s), where the compound as obtained in 1) above contains protective group(s). 16. A method of producing 4-oxoimidazolidine-2-spiropiperidine derivatives represented by a general formula [Ia] [in which R1, R2, R4, R5, A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 have the earlier given significations], or salts thereof, which comprises 1) a step of subjecting a compound of a general formula [V] [in which R4P, R5P have the same significations as given in claim 15, and A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 have the earlier given significations] and a compound of a general formula [IV] [in which R1 and R2 have the earlier given significations] to a dehydrative condensation to form a compound of a general formula [VI] [in which R1, R2, R4P, R5P, A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 have the earlier given significations]; 2) a step of reducing the nitrogen-carbon double bond in the compound of above general formula [VI]; and 3) a step of removing the protective group(s), where the compound as obtained in 2) above has protective group(s). |
<SOH> BACKGROUND ART <EOH>Nociceptin (the same substance as orphanin FQ) is a peptide composed of 17 amino acids and having a similar structure to that of opioid peptide. Nociceptin has an augmenting activity on reaction against noxious stimulae, an appetite stimulating activity, an activity for reducing a space learning ability, an antagonism against an analgesic action of classic opiate agonists, a dopamine release inhibitory action, a water diuresis action, a vasodilative action, a systemic blood pressure-lowering action and cell excitation inhibitory action, and it is considered to take part in controlling pain, appetite and memory, learning or emotional function through nociceptin receptor in the brain [refer to Nature, 1995, 377, 532; Society for Neuroscience, 1996, 22, 455; NeuroReport, 1997, 8, 423; Eur. J. Neuroscience, 1997, 9, 194; Neuroscience, 75, 1 and 333; and Life Sciences, 1997, 60, PL15 and PL141]. Further, it is known that morphine tolerance is reduced in knockout mice in which expression of nociceptin receptor is inhibited ( Neuroscience Letters, 1997, 237, 136). Heretofore known pharmacological activities of nociceptin or nociceptin receptor agonist from various reports include the following. 1) Administration of nociceptin was shown to have reduced reactivity to anxiety and stress ( Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 1997, 94, 14854-14858), which suggested nociceptin's having antianxiety or antidepressing action. 2) Nociceptin and nociceptin receptor agonist were shown to produce reduction of motor activity and sedation ( Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology, 2001, 363, 161-165; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2000, 97, 4938-4943). Nociceptin is also known to affect photosynchronization of biological clock ( Journal of Neuroscience, 1999, 19, 2152-2160), which suggest its controlling role over sleep-and-waking cycle and circadian rhythm. 3) Nociceptin receptor agonist is known to show analgesia at spinal level ( Tips, 1997, 18, 293-300). It was furthermore suggested to show little addictive tendency as highly active analgesic ( Nature, 1995, 377, 476). 4) Nociceptin is known to inhibit airway contraction caused by substance P which induces airway contraction during inflammation such as asthuma or chronic airway obstruction ( Journal of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, 1998, 285, 902-907), which suggests its effect to improve dyspenea induced by inflammatory airway contraction or antitussive effect. 5) Nociceptin is shown to increase cavernosal pressure at corpus cavernosum penis tissue to cause erection ( American Journal of Physiology, 1997, 273, E214-E219), which suggests improvement of erectile dysfunction. 6) Nociceptin has accelerating action on motility of digestive tract ( British Journal of Pharmacology, 2000, 130, 1639-1645), suggesting its ameliorating motility of digestive tract dysfunction such as hypokinesis of digestive tract. Accordingly, compounds having nociceptin receptor agonist activities are presumed to act as analgesic, reliever from tolerance to narcotic analgesic represented by morphine; reliever from dependence on narcotic analgesic represented by morphine; analgesic enhancer; antiobestic; drug for ameliorating brain function; remedy for schizophrenia; drug for treating regressive neurodegenerative diseases represented by Parkinsonism and chorea; antianxiety agent or antidepressant; remedy for diabetes insipidus; remedy for polyuria; remedy for hypotension; anesthetic or anesthetic adminiculum; remedy for sleep disorders represented by insomnia including increased sleep latency, intermittent wakefulness and decreased sleep efficiency; remedy for circadian rhythm disorder such as jet lag; drug for improving erectile function; airway dilation during dyspenea such as asthma or antitussive; or as drug for ameliorating motility of digestive tract during hypokinesis of digestive tract. On the other hand, nociceptin receptor agonists are disclosed, for example, in JP 2000-128879A or EP 963987A2, but they all are structurally different from 4-oxoimidazolidine-2-spiropiperidine derivatives of the present invention. Also as compounds analogous of 4-oxoimidazolidine-2-spiropiperidine derivatives of the present invention, for example, WO 00/34280 pamphlet discloses nociceptin receptor inhibitor. However, the compounds shown in WO 00/34280 contain a —CH(R)—Cy (wherein Cy stands for an aliphatic carbocyclic group and R stands for hydrogen or lower alkyl) binding to nitrogen atom in a heterocyclic ring including piperidine ring, from which compounds of the present invention differ in the point that branched alkyl is bound to the nitrogen atom in piperidine ring. Furthermore, WO 00/34280 does not suggest selection of specific branched chain alkyl as the substituent to bind to the nitrogen atom in 4-oxoimidazolidine-2-spiropiperidine derivatives imparts nociceptin receptor agonist action to the compounds. That is, compounds characterized in that piperidine is spiro-bound at 2-position of 4-oxoimidazoline ring and either a branched chain alkyl is bound to the nitrogen atom in the piperidine ring or an aliphatic carbocyclic group is directly bound to the nitrogen atom, are heretofore unknown. Nor it is known that 4-oxoimidazolidine-2-spiropiperidine derivatives having such a branched chain act specifically as nociceptin receptor agonist. The objects of this invention are to provide the compounds having nociceptin receptor agonist action and also to provide analgesic, reliever from tolerance to narcotic analgesic represented by morphine; reliever from dependence on narcotic analgesic represented by morphine; analgesic enhancer; antiobestic; drug for ameliorating brain function; remedy for schizophrenia; drug for treating regressive neurodegenerative diseases represented by Parkinsonism and chorea; antianxiety agent or antidepressant; remedy for diabetes insipidus; remedy for polyuria; remedy for hypotension; anesthetic or anesthetic adminiculum; remedy for sleep disorders represented by insomnia including increased sleep latency, intermittent wakefulness and decreased sleep efficiency; remedy for circadian rhythm disorder such as jet lag; drug for improving erectile function; airway dilation during dyspenea such as asthma or antitussive; or as drug for ameliorating motility of digestive tract during hypokinesis of digestive tract, which act based on the pharmacological activity as nociceptin receptor agonist. |
Method of treating organic wastewater and sludge and treatment apparatus therefor |
The present invention has an object to provide a process and an apparatus for efficiently recovering magnesium ammonium phosphate (hereinafter referred to as “MAP”) crystals of high purity and good quality in the technique of removing phosphorus and the like as MAP crystals from wastewater containing high concentration organic substance, phosphorus and nitrogen such as a digested supernatant liquor of human waste sewage and septic tank sludge, a digested liquor of sludge, chemical plant wastewater, and simultaneously recovering the MAP crystals. As the means to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a sludge treatment process comprising treating a sludge mixed liquor formed in the biological treatment system for organic wastewater in an anaerobic digestion tank to effect the digestion of sludge, simultaneously adding a magnesium source to the anaerobic digestion tank to allow crystals particles of MAP to form and grow in the anaerobic digestion tank, withdrawing a sludge mixed liquor containing the crystals of MAP from the anaerobic digestion tank, separating and recovering solids containing MAP crystal particles from the withdrawn sludge mixed liquor, and returning part of the sludge mixed liquor after separation and recovery of MAP crystal particles to the anaerobic digestion tank. |
1-16. (Cancelled) 17. A sludge treatment process comprising treating a sludge mixed liquor formed in the biological treatment system for organic wastewater in an anaerobic digestion tank to effect the digestion of sludge, simultaneously adding a magnesium source to the anaerobic digestion tank to allow crystal particles of magnesium ammonium phosphate to form and grow in the anaerobic digestion tank, withdrawing a sludge mixed liquor containing the crystals of magnesium ammonium phosphate from the anaerobic digestion tank, separating and recovering solids containing magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal particles from the withdrawn sludge mixed liquor, and returning part of the sludge mixed liquor after separation and recovery of the magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal particles to the anaerobic digestion tank. 18. The process of claim 17, wherein the step of separating and recovering solids containing magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal particles from the withdrawn sludge mixed liquor is carried out by a hydrocyclone. 19. The process of claim 17, wherein the magnesium source to be added to the anaerobic digestion tank is magnesium hydroxide or magnesium oxide. 20. The process of claim 19, wherein as the magnesium source, a solution obtained by dissolving magnesium hydroxide or magnesium oxide into seawater or well water is added to the anaerobic digestion tank. 21. The process of claim 17, wherein the amount of the sludge mixed liquor to be returned to the anaerobic digestion tank after separation and recovery of the magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal particles is 0.5 to 4 times the amount of the sludge mixed liquor to be introduced into the anaerobic digestion tank. 22. A sludge treatment apparatus comprising an anaerobic digestion tank for receiving a sludge mixed liquor formed in the biological treatment system for organic wastewater to effect the digestion of sludge and, simultaneously, the formation and growth of magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal particles; a magnesium source feeder for feeding a magnesium source to the anaerobic digestion tank; a sludge withdrawal pipe for withdrawing a sludge mixed liquor from the anaerobic digestion tank; a solid-liquid separator for receiving the sludge mixed liquor withdrawn from the anaerobic digestion tank through the sludge withdrawal pipe and separating and recovering solids containing the magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal particles; and piping for returning part of the sludge mixed liquor after separation and recovery of the magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal particles to be recovered from the solid-liquid separator to the anaerobic digestion tank. 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the solid-liquid separator is a hydrocyclone. 24. A process for removing an ion in water to be treated by crystallization method comprising introducing the water to be treated containing the ion to be removed into a crystallization reactor, feeding an ion capable of forming a hardly soluble salt by the reaction with the ion to be removed into the crystallization reactor to allow crystal particles of the hardly soluble salt of the ion to be removed to grow, then subjecting the reaction solution to solid-liquid separation to separate and recover grown crystal particles, and returning part of the reaction solution after separation and recovery of the grown crystal particles to the crystallization reactor. 25. A crystallization reaction apparatus comprising a crystallization reactor for receiving water to be treated containing an ion to be treated to form a hardly soluble salt of the ion to be treated; a salt-forming ion feeder for feeding a salt-forming ion capable of forming the hardly soluble salt by the reaction with the ion to be treated in the water to be treated into the crystallization reactor; a reaction solution discharge pipe for withdrawing a reaction solution after reaction from the crystallization reactor; a solid-liquid separator for subjecting the reaction solution withdrawn from the crystallization reactor through the reaction solution discharge pipe to solid-liquid separation to separate and recover grown crystal particles; and piping for returning part of the reaction solution after separation and recovery of the grown crystal particles to be recovered from the solid-liquid separator to the crystallization reactor. 26. A sludge treatment process comprising subjecting a sludge mixed liquor formed in the biological treatment system for organic wastewater to acid fermentation treatment in an acid fermentor, subsequently adding a magnesium source to the liquor in a particle aging tank to allow crystal particles of magnesium ammonium phosphate to grow in the particle aging tank, then treating the sludge mixed liquor in an anaerobic digestion tank to effect the digestion of sludge and the growth of crystal particles of magnesium ammonium phosphate, withdrawing a sludge mixed liquor containing crystals of magnesium ammonium phosphate from the anaerobic digestion tank, separating and recovering solids containing magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal particles from the withdrawn sludge mixed liquor, feeding part of the sludge mixed liquor after separation and recovery of the magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal particles into the acid fermentor, and simultaneously feeding the separated and recovered crystal particles of magnesium ammonium phosphate into the aging tank. 27. The process of claim 26, wherein the step of separating and recovering solids containing magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal particles from the withdrawn sludge mixed liquor is carried out by a hydrocyclone. 28. The process of claim 26, wherein the magnesium source to be added to the anaerobic digestion tank is magnesium hydroxide or magnesium oxide. 29. The process of claim 28, wherein as the magnesium source, a solution obtained by dissolving magnesium hydroxide or magnesium oxide into seawater or well water is added to the anaerobic digestion tank. 30. The process of claim 26, wherein the amount of the sludge mixed liquor to be returned to the anaerobic digestion tank after separation and recovery of the magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal particles is 0.5 to 4 times the amount of the sludge mixed liquor to be introduced into the anaerobic digestion tank. 31. A sludge treatment apparatus comprising an acid fermentor for receiving a sludge mixed liquor formed in the biological treatment system for organic wastewater to effect the treatment of sludge by acid fermentation; a particle aging tank where a magnesium source is added to the mixed sludge liquor to be discharged from the acid fermentor to allow crystal particles of magnesium ammonium phosphate to grow; a magnesium source feeder for feeding a magnesium source to the particle aging tank; an anaerobic digestion tank for receiving a sludge mixed liquor to be discharged from the particle aging tank to effect the digestion of sludge and the growth of crystal particles of magnesium ammonium phosphate; a sludge withdrawal pipe for withdrawing a sludge mixed liquor from the anaerobic digestion tank; a solid-liquid separator for receiving the sludge mixed liquor withdrawn from the anaerobic digestion tank through the sludge withdrawal pipe to separate and recover solids containing the magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal particles; piping for feeding part of the sludge mixed liquor after separation and recovery of the magnesium ammonium phosphate crystal particles to be recovered from the solid-liquid separator into the acid fermentor; and piping for feeding the crystal particles of magnesium ammonium phosphate to be recovered from the solid-liquid separator into the particle aging tank. 32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the solid-liquid separation apparatus is a hydrocyclone. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND ART <EOH>As the conventionally typical simultaneous treatment method of denitrification and dephosphorization, there are biological treatment methods such as an anaerobic-anoxic-oxic process and the method by combining two or more of anaerobic-aerobic process, aggregation precipitation method, alumina adsorption method and the like. Further, in recent years, the MAP treatment method or the like which is aimed at returned liquor to be formed in a step of night soil treatment facilities and sewage treatment facilities, anaerobic digestion supernatant liquor and the like has been tried. The MAP treatment means the crystallization and removal of phosphorus in ammonium-containing water to be treated as MAP particles by adding a magnesium source and a pH adjustor to the water to be treated. Of these treatment methods, the anaerobic-anoxic-oxic process has a problem of unstable treatment performance depending on the change in the water property and the change in the external environment caused by seasonal variation or the like, and the method by combining the anaerobic-aerobic process with the aggregation precipitation method has a problem of complication of the treatment step and, in addition, high running cost including the cost of chemicals. Contrast to this, the MAP treatment method reduces operational complication compared to the former two methods, and particularly enables stable recovery of phosphorus and adds value to the recovered MAP as a fertilizer, and accordingly can be said an excellent phosphorus and nitrogen removal technique from the standpoint of effective utilization of resources. However, the MAP method has problems such that (1) the chemical cost of sodium hydroxide as the pH adjustor, magnesium chloride as the magnesium source and the like is high; (2) quick crystallization of MAP in a short period of time of about less than one hour (abbreviated as “quick MAP reaction”) may form fine MAP particles which leak from the reactor to sometimes reduce the MAP recovery ratio to about 60 to 70%; (3) the quick MAP reaction causes interminglement of suspended solids (hereinafter referred to as “SS”) with MAP crystals when about 400 mg/L or more of SS is present in a liquor to be treated, and thus high purity MAP crystals cannot be recovered; (4) when an anaerobic digestion step or the like is employed in the preceding stage of the MAP step, there is a problem such that in the anaerobic digestion step, the MAP reaction whose rate is determined by concentration of soluble magnesium in the sludge is already conducted in the reactor and due to the difficulty of separating formed MAP particles as such from SS, the formed MAP exists in the digested sludge and is not recovered and disposed together with the sludge. As the means to solve the above described problems, the present inventors proposed a technique of efficiently recovering phosphorus in wastewater as MAP (JP-A-2002-45889). The outline of the method as proposed therein is shown in FIG. 4 . Organic wastewater 1 is subjected to solid-liquid separation in a primary sedimentation tank 2 to separate a sludge mixed liquor 3 (first settled sludge), and then the supernatant liquor is subjected to biological treatment in a bioreactor 4 . An activated sludge mixed liquor 5 discharged from the bioreactor 4 is subjected to solid-liquid separation in a secondary settling tank 6 and treated water 7 is withdrawn, and simultaneously a sludge mixed liquor 8 (excess sludge) is recovered. The sludge mixed liquors 3 and 8 formed in such an organic wastewater treatment system are introduced into an anaerobic digestion tank 51 . A magnesium source 55 is fed into the anaerobic digestion tank 51 to effect the digestion of organic substances in the sludge by anaerobic bacteria in the digestion tank 51 , and simultaneously the MAP formation reaction is advanced to form MAP crystal particles. Thus-obtained sludge mixed liquor containing MAP crystal particles is treated by an MAP recovery device 52 such as a hydrocyclone to separate and recover the formed MAP crystal particles 56 . The sludge mixed liquor 57 after separation of the MAP crystal particles is introduced into a dehydrator 53 to recover the SS content as the dehydrated cake 58 . The separated water 59 obtained in the dehydrator is introduced into a second crystallization tank 54 , added with a magnesium source 60 and a pH adjustor 61 , and mixed to form and recover MAP particles 62 again. The supernatant liquor 63 after recovery of the MAP particles can be returned to the primary sedimentation tank 2 . According to this method, fine particles of MAP and unreacted phosphorus to be mixed into the separated water in the first stage of the MAP formation and recovery step in the anaerobic digestion tank are crystallized and allowed to grow for recovery in the second stage of the MAP formation step in the second crystallization tank, and accordingly the recovery ratio of phosphorus in the wastewater could be increased to a great extent. As the result of further investigating this method in detail by the present inventors, it has been found that speaking from the standpoint of its economy or its easiness of operation, further improvement such as increase and stabilization of the MAP recovery ratio, enhancement of the purity of the formed MAP, reduction of the amount of chemicals to be used, and simplification of the treatment system is required. |
Traffic flow analysis method |
The present invention describes a method for collecting visitor information in a distributed browser-based traffic analysis system. The method comprises the steps of: receiving a request with a content server from a network element for an interpreted language page content; receiving the interpreted language page content, the interpreted language page content having at least one measurement code comprising a measurement element source attribute specifying a measurement program; receiving a request for the source data of the measurement element, the request comprising at least one data structure including at least one of at least one page ID and at least one category ID and at least one time stamp and other relevant data; comparing the content of the fields of the data structure(s) to a predefined set of rules in the measurement program; updating the counters or other programming structures in the measurement program based on the comparison; updating the data structure(s), and providing the network element with the updated data structure(s) and the source data for the measurement element. |
1. A method for collecting visitor information in a distributed browser-based traffic analysis system, wherein the information needed in the traffic analysis is stored on at least one data structures, wherein the method comprises the steps of: a) receiving a request with a content server from a network element for an interpreted language page content; b) receiving the interpreted language page content from the content server with the network element, the interpreted language page content having at least one measurement code comprising a measurement element source attribute specifying directly or indirectly a measurement program; c) receiving a request from the network element with the measurement program for the source data of the measurement element, the request comprising also at least one data structures including at least one of at least one page ID and at least one category ID and at least one time stamp and other relevant data; d) comparing the content of the fields of the at least one data structure to a predefined set of rules in the measurement program; e) updating the counters or other programming structures in the measurement program based on the comparison; f) updating the at least one data structure, and g) providing the network element with the updated data structure(s) and the source data for the measurement element directly or indirectly. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data structure is a cookie. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein before step d): detecting if the request includes at least two data structures; and generating at least a first data structure and a second data structure in response to detecting the absence of the data structures wherein the first data structure is a website cookie and the second data structure is a webpage cookie. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one data structures comprises a first data structure and a second data structure wherein: the first data structure is a website cookie; and the second data structure is a webpage cookie. 5. (Delete) 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the updating of the at least one data structure comprises the steps of: replacing the relevant fields with new information computed by the measurement program; and deleting obsolete information. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information in the at least one data structure is encoded or compressed in order to save space. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement program is arranged in a measurement server being a standalone server. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement program is arranged in a measurement server being the same server as the content server containing the interpreted language pages. 10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the measurement program is arranged in the same domain as the content server containing the interpreted language pages. 11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the measurement program is arranged in a different domain as the content server containing the interpreted language pages. 12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the counter data or the programming structure data is reported with a built-in reporting application. 13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the counter data or the programming structure data is transferred from the measurement program in order to be reported. 14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the counter data or the programming structure data is reported to a desired party. 15. The method according to claim 11, wherein extra features and new measurement features are added to the measurement program. 16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the interpreted language is any mark-up language. 17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement element is any element having a source attribute. 18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one data structure is sent to the network element along with the interpreted language page content. 19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network element is a browser or a server. 20. A measurement server system for collecting visitor information in a distributed browser-based traffic analysis system by means of tracking data requests for retrieval of interpreted language pages, the measurement server system comprising at least one measurement server, wherein the measurement server system comprises at least: one central processing unit for establishing a communication with the network; and one program memory for storing programming instructions executed by a central processing unit in such a way that the measurement server establishes a communication with the network and communicates with a network element in such a way that the measurement server system receives a request from the network element for the source data of a measurement element, the request comprising also at least one data structures including at least one of at least one page ID and at least one category ID and at least one time stamp and other relevant data; compares the content of the fields of the at least one data structure to a predefined set of rules; updates the counters or other programming structure based on the comparison; updates the data structure, and provides the network element with the updated data structure and the source data for the measurement element directly or indirectly. 21. The measurement server system according to claim 20, wherein the at least one data structure is a cookie. 22. The measurement server system according to claim 20, wherein before the comparison the measurement server system: detects if the request includes at least two data structures; and generates at least a first data structure and a second data structure in response to detecting the absence of the data structures, wherein the first data structure is a website cookie and the second data structure is a webpage cookie. 23. The measurement server system according to claim 20, wherein the at least one data structure comprises a first data structure and a second data structure wherein: the first data structure is a website cookie; and the second data structure is a webpage cookie. 24. (Delete) 25. The measurement server system according to claim 20, wherein the updating of the at least one data structure comprises the steps of: replacing the relevant fields with new information computed by the measurement program stored on the program memory; and deleting obsolete information. 26. The measurement server system according to claim 20, wherein information in the at least one data structure is encoded or compressed in order to save space. 27. The measurement server system according to claim 20, wherein the at least one measurement servers are standalone servers. 28. The measurement server system according to claim 19, wherein the measurement program is arranged in a measurement server being the same server as the content server containing the interpreted language pages. 29. The measurement server system according to claim 27, wherein the measurement program is arranged in the same domain as the content server containing the interpreted language pages. 30. The measurement server system according to claim 27, wherein the measurement program is arranged in a different domain as the content server containing the interpreted language pages. 31. The measurement server system according to claim 20, wherein the counter data or the programming structure data is reported with a built-in reporting application. 32. The measurement server system according to claim 20, wherein the counter data or the programming structure data is transferred from the measurement program stored on the program memory in order to be reported. 33. The measurement server system according to claim 31, wherein the counter data or the programming structure data is reported to a desired party. 34. The measurement server system according to claim 20, wherein extra features and new measurement subjects are added to the measurement program. 35. The measurement server system according to claim 20, wherein the interpreted language is any mark-up language. 36. The measurement server system according to claim 20, wherein the measurement element is any element having a source attribute. 37. The measurement server system according to claim 20, wherein the at least one data structure is sent to the network element along with the interpreted language page content. 38. The measurement server system according to claim 20, wherein the network element is a browser or a server. 39. A program product for use in a measurement server that executes the program steps recorded in a computer-readable medium to perform a method for collecting visitor information in a distributed browser-based traffic analysis system, wherein the program product comprises: a recordable medium; and a program of computer-readable instructions executable by the measurement server to perform the method comprising the steps of: a) receiving a request from a network element for the source data of the measurement element, the request comprising also at least one data structures including at least one of at least one page ID and/or at least one category ID and at least one time stamp and other relevant data; b) comparing the content of the fields of the at least one data structure to a predefined set of rules in the measurement program; c) updating the counters or other programming structures in the measurement program based on the comparison; d) updating the at least one data structure, and e) providing the network element with the updated data structure and the source data for the measurement element directly or indirectly. 40. The program product according to claim 39, wherein the at least one data structure is a cookie. 41. The program product according to claim 39, wherein before step b): detecting if the request includes at least two data structures; and generating at least a first data structure and a second data structure in response to detecting the absence of the data structures, wherein the first data structure is a website cookie and the second data structure is a webpage cookie. 42. The program product according to claim 39, wherein the cookies comprise a first data structure and a second data structure wherein: the first data structure is a website cookie; and the second data structure is a webpage cookie. 43. (Delete) 44. The program product according to claim 39, wherein the updating of the at least one data structure comprises the steps of: replacing the relevant fields with new information computed by the measurement program; and deleting obsolete information. 45. The program product according to claim 39, wherein information in the at least one data structure is encoded or compressed in order to save space. 46. The program product according to claim 39, wherein the measurement program is arranged in a measurement server being a standalone server. 47. The program product according to claim 39, wherein the measurement program is arranged in a measurement server being the same server as the content server containing the interpreted language pages. 48. The program product according to claim 46, wherein the measurement program is arranged in the same domain as the content server containing the interpreted language pages. 49. The program product according to claim 46, wherein the measurement program is arranged in a different domain as the content server containing the interpreted language pages. 50. The program product according to claim 39, wherein the counter data or the programming structure data is reported with a built-in reporting application. 51. The program product according to claim 39, wherein the counter data or the programming structure data is transferred from the measurement program in order to be reported. 52. The program product according to claim 50, wherein the counter data or the programming structure data is reported to a desired party. 53. The program product according to claim 39, wherein extra features and new measurement subjects are added to the measurement program. 54. The program product according to claim 39, wherein the interpreted language is any mark-up language. 55. The program product according to claim 39, wherein the measurement element is any element having a source attribute. 56. The program product according to claim 39, wherein the at least one data structure is sent to the network element along with the interpreted language page content. 57. The program product according to claim 39, wherein the network element is a browser or a server. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>The Internet can be regarded as a world-wide computer network. The growth rate of terminals connected to the Internet has been enormous. The Internet provides several different services. Among these are World Wide Web (WWW), email, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) etc. Especially the first two services are very popular. The Internet comprises of servers and hosts which are interconnected to each other. Thus the Internet is actually a “virtual” network which is formed by an innumerable amount of “physical” networks. A user can request data files from an Internet-connected computer. The computer is usually a server which provides the user, e.g. web pages. The web pages are typically written in a mark-up language called hypertext mark-up language (HTML). The Internet is a very attractive form of media for commercial purposes. Websites have become an important means for businesses and individuals to disseminate new product and service information. With the word website we refer to a term which includes several webpages. The maintainer of a website can monitor the pattern of web browser requests. It is clear that advertisers in different kinds of websites would like to know how many visitors are visiting the website. Therefore accurate monitoring information is a very important piece of information to different kinds of advertisers. Therefore, various software programs and monitoring services have been developed to track service requests. Traffic monitoring is an essential part in analysing the use of the Internet. The visitor traffic information is a valuable piece of information practically in every website which tries to increase service requests or advertising benefits. Traffic monitoring is generally divided in two different methods: server-based traffic analysis, and browser-based traffic analysis. Server-Based Traffic Analysis: Website servers can be configured to store information to a log file for every website page request they receive. The log file is then later analysed and a website traffic report is produced. The statistics in a log file can include various elements, e.g. time of day, identification of the requesting computer, referring link etc. A proxy server is a device which can store web content, e.g. html-pages on a central location. When a website page is requested from a web browser, the request is routed through a proxy server. The proxy server checks if it has the requested html-page in its cache storage. If the page is found the proxy server sends the desired page back to the web browser. If the requested website page is not cached in the proxy server, it requests the page from the actual web server. The functionality of the proxy server forms a problem when server-based traffic analysis is used. When the proxy server finds the requested html-page in its cache the request is not recorded in the original web-server log file. However, some proxy servers can notify the web server of the requests made. The above-mentioned problem with proxy servers exists also when the requested page is found in some other cache memory, e.g. the browser cache memory. Therefore, the request is not recorded in the log file. The server-based solution is not a problem free solution. Server-based tools do not typically provide a real-time view of the website traffic data. If the log analysis tools are installed locally on the website file server, then the website owner can only use tools that are available for the platform of the hosting file server computer. Moreover, website owners who operate very high-traffic sites often disable logging because of inadequate computer resources to operate both the file server function and the traffic logging function. Browser-Based Traffic Analysis: An alternative solution to the server-based traffic analysis is the browser-based traffic analysis service. The browser-based analysis typically relies on special html code inserted into the page on a website. The webpage usually consists of several different elements that may be retrieved from different locations. The location is indicated with a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The browser-based traffic monitoring is based on a small graphical element which is retrieved from a server that is in a different location from the primary website file server. The source location attribute directs a browser to the computers of the traffic analysis service. It is very important to identify the website visitor. A well known technique for that is to use so called “cookies” which identify the visitor uniquely. A cookie contains information about the visitor, last visiting time, how long the cookie is valid etc. Browser-based tools normally collect visitor information about pages which contain the special (html) code. Normally, the code has to be inserted into every page for which traffic analysis is wanted. The special code refers usually to a 1×1 pixel size invisible picture (referred to as graphical element). The web server which provides the traffic analysis is generally managed by the company providing the traffic analysis. A cookie which specifies a web browser is logically bound to the graphical element. When a website is visited the special html code (the graphical element) is also requested by the browser. At the same time certain information about the website visitor is supplied with the graphical element request. This information comprises information about, e.g. the browser used, the version of the browser, the operating system, supported programming languages, time spent on the webpage etc. The cookie is also transferred to the traffic analysis server. The cookie comprises information, e.g. about the visited path on the website, time interval between consecutive visits, how often the website is visited etc. Visitors are recognised from each other by the user ID. The browser-based traffic analysis has many advantages over the server-based traffic analysis. The browser-based analysis results are more reliable than server-based results because webpage requests from proxy servers are included. The browser-based traffic analysis is generally real-time although some server-based solutions are almost real-time. The browser-based traffic analysis is typically an ASP-service (ASP, Application Service Provider) and thus does not waste the resources of the web file server of the client. Also, it does not require the installation of traffic measurement applications in the www server of the client when browser-based tools are used. Reference publication WO 0075827 presents a centralised browser-based traffic analysis. All centralised browser-based traffic analysis systems have some common features. The traffic analysis server is a standalone server different from the website server. This enables a multiwebsite traffic analysis with only one traffic analysis server. The visitors of a website are identified with a cookie. If the use of a cookie is disabled, the visitor should not be included in the traffic monitoring. It is measured that only a fraction (less than two percents) of web browsers are configured to reject cookies. The traffic monitoring information is transferred to the traffic analysis server where it is analysed, stored and reported to the customer. The browser-based traffic analysis method/system enables versatile and extensive production of measurement information. As much as a hundred different quantities can be reported. At the same time, however, there are only few really important main quantities. The main quantities are, e.g. page hits, visits, unique visitors, time spent on a webpage and time spent on a website. The reporting interval is, e.g. a day, a week or a month. Although browser-based traffic analysis and other traffic analysis systems produce an innumerable amount of traffic analysis data they have certain problems and weaknesses: A centralised traffic measurement system requires a significant data transfer bandwidth and data processing capacity. Some traffic analysis companies have hundreds of servers which can process several billion graphical element requests per day. The amount of servers causes large financial investments and maintenance costs. The costs are transferred to the customer prices which can easily be as much as $10000/month/large website. A large traffic measurement data storage and processing capacity in practise requires a centralised measurement solution. The customers are not willing to install database and software solutions for browser-based traffic analysis systems in their own web servers because the enormous amount of information requires capacity and maintenance. In a centralised traffic measurement system graphical elements are often requested from a server different from the website file server. This weakens the accuracy of the measurement result and may expose the website functionality to errors. If the data communication connection between the graphical element and the measurement server is down the download process of the requested website page may take quite a while. In the worst case part of the website page may remain unloaded or the user may receive an error message of the fact that the connection to the measurement server is down. Some part of the measured quantities require so much storage space that it is not reasonable to measure those quantities. E.g. unique visitors are measured and reported only by website basis. Webpage-based measurement results would be very essential in order to understand website traffic. However, the collection of this kind of information with present means would require excessive data storage on popular and large websites. There are centralised browser-based solutions where the traffic analysis program resides in the same web file server as the normal website content. However, in the view of data storage these systems are considered as centralised solutions. The present systems record the traffic monitoring data in a centralised file or similar data storage, which is like a log file. The analysis of the file is then processed within one or more batch runs. Especially the measurability of the key quantities related to different visitors is directly dependent on the amount of the collected and stored information. It follows that on a popular website traffic monitoring methods require a large data storage. From the data storage and analysis perspective these systems are comparable with the server-based measurement systems described in the reference publication WO 0075827. |
<SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>The present invention concerns a method, a measurement server system and a program product for collecting visitor information in a distributed browser-based traffic analysis system by means of tracking data requests for the retrieval of mark-up language pages. In the present invention, a content server receives a request from a network element for an interpreted language page content. The content server sends the interpreted language page content to the network element, the interpreted language page content having at least one measurement code comprising a measurement element source attribute specifying directly or indirectly a measurement program. The measurement program then receives a request from the network element for the source data of the measurement element, the request comprising also one or more data structuredata structures and other relevant data. The fields of the data structuredata structure(s) are compared to a predefined set of rules in the measurement program. The information element is preferably a cookie. Based on the comparison, the counters or other programming structures are updated in the measurement program. The measurement program updates the data structure(s) and provides the network element with the updated data structure(s) and the source data for the measurement element. In one embodiment of the present invention, extra features and new measurement subjects are added to the measurement program. The present invention describes a distributed browser-based traffic analysis system where the information needed is distributed into the data structure(s). The data structure is in a preferred embodiment a cookie that is normally located in the hard disk of a computer. The analysis of the traffic information is performed with the measurement program. The resources required in the analysis, however, are nominal and the analysis is executed in real time. The measurement program is typically installed in the www server because the installation and the traffic measurement do not necessarily need a standalone server nor extensive data storage systems. An important feature in the invention is that the information required in the traffic analysis is stored on the data structures, e.g. cookies. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there are two cookies. Therefore the measurement program does not need a large storage with which different visitors are separated. In the present measurement systems, the users are equipped with a unique user ID. In the present invention, unique user Ids are not needed because the measurement program reads only cookies that are set from the domain(s) of the website. Therefore, the cookies are unique for each website and for each visitor. If there is, e.g. a setting “Only accept cookies originating from the same server as the page being viewed” enabled in the browser, then no cookies are sent to a measurement server in a different domain. Therefore, a measurement server located in a different domain is not capable of measuring reliably website traffic when the above mentioned setting is enabled. Due to the present invention, the reliability of the measurement increases because in the acquirement of the measurement element, the same data communication connection is used as in the acquirement of the website content. Thus, the data connection to the measurement program is identical and as fast and reliable as the data connection to the website content. The traffic measurement described in the invention can be implemented at a lower price than in centralised browser-based traffic analysis systems because there is no need to buy or arrange a separate data connection to the measurement server in order to obtain the measurement element. Also the traffic measurement can be implemented at a lower price than in the centralised browser-based traffic analysis systems because for the analysis of the traffic there is no need to maintain a database with which the visitors are identified. Also the processing required in the analysis is performed with the website server of the customer. The required processing, however, is nominal and therefore in practise does not load the website server of the customer very much. The load of the measurement element requests is usually directed to the same server(s) as the other website requests and not to a separate traffic measurement server that might serve several different websites. An important feature of the present invention is that the pricing of the traffic measurement can be independent of the amount of the traffic. When the amount of the information flow increases, the extra burden is directed to the existing website server(s). |
Metal solution-diffusion membrane and method for producing the same |
The present invention relates to a metal solution-diffusion membrane of a macroporous base on which a thin metal membrane layer (3) is formed. In the present membrane, the base comprises a hollow fiber (1) with a metal material containing an intermediate layer (2) being formed between the hollow fiber (1) and the metal membrane layer (3). The invention further relates to a method for producing such a metal solution-diffusion membrane in which the intermediate layer (2) serves to provide nuclei for the subsequent currentless deposition of the metal layer (3). The present metal solution-diffusion membrane can be realized with a very thin metal membrane layer with high permeability and possesses great long-term stability as well as a great separation surface/volume ratio. |
1-14. (Canceled). 15. A metal solution-diffusion membrane comprising a macroporous base layer comprising hollow fiber, a metal membrane layer, and an intermediate layer between said macroporous base layer and said metal membrane layer. 16. A metal solution-diffusion membrane according to claim 15, wherein said metal membrane layer has a layer thickness in a range between 0.1 and 10 μm. 17. A metal solution-diffusion membrane according to claim 15, wherein said metal membrane layer has a layer thickness in a range between 0.7 and 1 μm. 18. A metal solution-diffusion membrane according to claim 15, wherein said intermediate layer has a layer thickness in a range between 1 and 10 μm. 19. A metal solution-diffusion membrane according to claim 15, wherein said intermediate layer has a layer thickness in a range between 2 and 3 μm. 20. A metal solution-diffusion membrane according to claim 15, wherein said intermediate layer comprises particles of a sol, said particles being coated with a salt of a metal of said metal membrane layer. 21. A metal solution-diffusion membrane according to claim 15, wherein said hollow fiber has an outer diameter in a range between 80 and 1500 μm, a wall thickness in a range between 10 and 200 μm and an average pore size of approximately 0.2 μm. 22. A metal solution-diffusion membrane according to claim 15, wherein said hollow fiber is formed from a ceramic material. 23. A metal solution-diffusion membrane according to claim 15, wherein said hollow fiber is formed from a metal material. 24. A metal solution-diffusion membrane according to claim 15, wherein said metal membrane layer is formed from palladium or a palladium alloy. 25. A method for producing the metal solution-diffusion membrane according to one of claims 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 or 24 comprising: providing at least one macroporous hollow fiber; applying onto said at least one hollow fiber said intermediate layer, said intermediate layer including metallic nuclei for subsequent currentless deposition of the metal membrane layer; passivating said intermediate layer; and applying said metal membrane layer by means of currentless deposition. 26. A method according to claim 25, wherein said applying of said intermediate layer occurs by means of applying a Böhmit sol modified with metal complexes and subsequent calcination. 27. A method according to claim 26, wherein said applying of said intermediate layer occurs using a dip coating process, while a vacuum is generated in an interior of said hollow fiber. 28. A method according to claim 25, wherein said passivating occurs by means of hydrogen flowing over said intermediate layer. |
<SOH> FIELD OF THE INVENTION <EOH>The present invention relates to a metal solution-diffusion membrane from a macroporous base on which a thin metal membrane layer is formed as well as to a method for producing this metal solution-diffusion membrane. Metal solution-diffusion membranes play a major role in purifying or filtering gases in industrial processes. The growing demand for hydrogen as a fuel or as a reaction product in the chemical industry has attracted the attention of research to the production, purification and use of hydrogen. Purifying respectively filtering hydrogen plays a vital role in this. Particularly metal solution-diffusion membranes, as for example palladium membranes, are especially suited for separating and purifying hydrogen for applications in the electronics, the metal or the chemical industries. The drawbacks associated with palladium membranes are, in particular, little permeability and little long-term stability as well as a low separation-volume ratio. |
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